Lectures
Lectures to large classes are now one of the more "traditional" instructional
approaches, but as the links below suggest, they can teach students valuable listening
skills. At the same time, lecturers often forget that they are modeling public speaking
behaviors for their students, so teachers who choose to lecture should probably pay
a great deal of attention to rhetorical issues of delivery, arrangement, style, etc.
The teacher, of course, is not the only person in a class who can "lecture";
it might be a useful strategy to have students responsible for a "mini-lecture" during
the semester so that they can get valuable practice as public speakers.
Designing and Implementing Effective Lectures
- Improving Lecturing
Skills: Some Insights from Speech Communication (Indiana)
- A discussion of the primary strengths of effective lectures, including serving
as a role model of good public communication skills; lecturers are reminded to keep
clear goals in mind.
- Improving Your Lecturing (UIUC)
- Links on this site include an extended discussion of the strengths and weaknesses
of lecturing, strategies for improving lecture structures, notes on delivery, and
assessment techniques.
- Lecturing
Effectively (FSU)
- A careful discussion of the uses of lecture, including a recommendation for using "microteaching" as
a method for improving the lecturer's abilities.
- Presentation Skills: More
Than Just Powerpoint (San Francisco State)
- Making presentations can be a rewarding experience. From information on using visuals
and PowerPoint slides to tips on practicing and using your voice, this tutorial is
filled with information that will help you improve your presentation skills and give
an effective and impressive presentation.
Other Resources
- Are Just-In-Time Lectures Effective
at Teaching? (Dannenberg & Capell, Carnegie Mellon)
- Delivering
Effective Lectures (Johns Hopkins)
- Lectures & Approaches
to Active Learning (Seeler, Turnwald, & Bull)
- Lecturing (Phil
Race, U of Durham)
