HOW TO BE A GOOD LECTURER FOR YOUR STUDENTS
Definition of Aims and Objectives
A carefully thought through set of course aims and objectives is essential to appropriate lecture preparation. What do you want your students to learn? What are the key concepts and issues that need to be addressed? What essential skills should students be equipped with? As important, if not more so, is that these be clearly communicated to students.
Along with the degree you have for teaching, first you as a lecturer should have understood all the concepts well. You should not be in a diploma anytime when you are teaching a subject.
Information overload and coverage are frequently raised issues; students complain that they cannot follow and lecturers worry that they are falling behind. Not surprisingly, in a study which compared lectures where 90% vs. 70% vs. 50% of the sentences disseminated new information—the remaining time in each case was used for restating, highlighting significance, giving more examples and relating the material to the students’ prior experience—it was found that students, given the lower level of new content, learned and retained the lecture information better3. Ultimately, it is not how much is delivered but how much is received and understood that counts; telling is not teaching, and information is not knowledge. And if it is accepted that the lecture—and higher education in general—is not merely to feed information to students, then the natural corollary would be to cut down on factual content and focus more on ensuring that principles and concepts are understood, the process of evaluating evidence and arriving at conclusion grasped, and that students are sufficiently stimulated and equipped to go beyond the lecture to look for further information themselves.
Learning Paradigm
The necessity for a shift from the traditional instruction paradigm to a learning paradigm is patently obvious. At the risk of exaggeration, it might be said that the former is the “pedagogy of the oppressed2” while the latter allows “freedom to learn”3. Many of the ideas about the shift are by now familiar4. However, a reminder of the key differences may still be useful.
Making learning the focus of the education enterprise naturally leads to a learner-centred approach, and to such attendant issues as learner profile, motivation, learning styles and approaches, instructional design and methodology, and learning outcomes.
Empower learners to discover and construct knowledge Education as qualitative transformation
Values
Respect for individual needs/strengths
Cooperation
Proactive
Responsive to stakeholders/‘clients’; ‘strategic alliances’
What to learn
Assume yourself being a computer science teacher, and then make sure to know the whole syllabus and its contents well in advance. Even if somebody asks a question about your subject in your dream also, you should be able to answer that question.
Never try learning only for the next day. This never works. Students will have a lot of questions about each thing since they are inquisitive to know. The students themselves are very smart and have a lot of information on hand before you teach them, so be sure to know about the topic more than any of the students.
Never keep the book in front of you, when you are teaching. This shows that you are a pathetic teacher.
Be ready with all the slides necessary for the next day. If it is about internet, browse and collect all the information about internet and have a ppt for this. When you teach you should only teach through this ppt (using a projector).
It is always better if you teach them on-line. This is possible only if all the students are provided with computers. The students are working on-line and learning things. May be you are teaching them MS.Word, and then show them how to do it on your screen and allow them to do it on their own, in their computers. Theoretical knowledge is necessary but what is needed is the practical knowledge. So give them as much practical sessions as possible.
If a student asks a question and you don’t know the answer, make sure you have given the answer the same day or the next day. Browse the net and find the answer.
Upgrade yourself every now and then. Up gradations come often and there is no other go except to upgrade yourself to all these things.
If there are talks about new technologies, never miss it, attend it. You will get a lot of information from these seminars.
Just the word "lecture" is enough to elicit groans from most people. Nonetheless, there is no reason a lecture needs to be dry and boring or hard to follow. With a few tips, techniques and some practice, just about anyone can give a good lecture on just about any topic.
Planning the Lecture
- Step 1
Identify your audience: young students, college students, parents, business entrepreneurs, etc.
- Step 2
Identify your lecture topic.
- Step 3
Determine your time allotment. Consider how long the lecture will last and how much time will you leave for questions or announcements.
- Step 4
Outline your lecture material. Clearly state the main point of the lecture first. Next, lay out the supporting points and relative details, including the approximate amount of time you plan to spend on each topic. Finally, wrap up with a clear conclusion that restates the main point of the lecture.
- Step 5
Go through your lecture outline and highlight places where you can stop lecturing and reinforce your point in a different way. Engage your audience by asking questions. Make a point of using pop culture references. Turn to media for visual or audio aids.
- Step 6
Write out a detailed final lecture outline. Include complete topic sentences, quotes and references you wish to note, and questions you will pose to the audience. Highlight places where you will turn to media or incorporate other teaching methods.
- Step 7
Practice, practice, practice. Rehearse your lecture. Write in cues such as "Pause," "Breath," or "Scan Audience for Questions" and practice these motions as well. Make sure your language, tone and examples are appropriate for your audience.
- Step 8
Arrive at your lecture location early. Make sure any technology you plan to use works properly. Have someone sit at the back of the venue to evaluate your volume and enunciation.
Giving the Lecture
- Step 1
Grab your audience's attention. Open with a catchy quote, surprising fact or anecdote that the audience members can relate to.
- Step 2
Introduce yourself and briefly state what you have to offer your audience--what qualifies you to be here speaking.
- Step 3
Progress through your lecture smoothly, beginning with your introduction and flowing through your notes to the conclusion. Connect all ideas and examples.
- Step 4
Maintain eye-contact with your audience members. Scan the audience slowly, so that each audience member feels as if you are addressing him individually.
- Step 5
Speak clearly. Enunciate your words. Use good grammar. Project to reach the back of the venue, or use a microphone.
- Step 6
Ask your audience for any questions or comments following your lecture.
- Step 7
Thank your audience for coming to hear you speak.
Tips and Trick
- Play to your strengths. For example, if you are a comedian, incorporate a joke or two. But stick to what is comfortable for you.
- Be passionate about your topic, and act as though you really enjoy being there lecturing. This will help you stay dynamic and engaging throughout the lecture.
- Try to break up the lecture into 15- or 20-minute chunks, maximum. This is the average attention span of most audience members. You may need to adjust based on your audience.
- Help your audience follow you by posting an overhead outline of your lecture or handing out photocopies of the outline prior to beginning your lecture.
- Videotape yourself while lecturing. Use this to evaluate and improve your delivery.
- Don't try to address every detail pertaining to your topic. Stick to the basics, and try to make it relevant to your audience.
- Avoid reading directly from PowerPoint slides or your notes. You should have rehearsed enough that you can speak to each slide or point while addressing the audience.
- Make sure all media and technology work prior to the lecture, if possible. If you do experience technical difficulties, stay positive and move on.
Some Characteristics Of A Good Lecturer
In teaching a class, there are many and varied demands placed upon the lecturer. It is good practice, at the beginning of term, to check one's teaching style against the ideal, and to make necessary adjustments.
Edwin Rosinski, professor and director of the office of medical education at the
David Fielding, Director of Continuing Pharmaceutical Education and a professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy at UBC, passed on the list to the TAG newsletter.
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- Presents material clearly and logically
- Enables the student to understand the basic principles of the subject
- Can be clearly heard
- Makes material intelligibly meaningful
- Maintains continuity in the course
- Is constructive and helpful with criticisms
- Shows an expert knowledge of subject matter
- Adopts an appropriate pace during the lecture
- Includes material which is not readily accessible in textbooks
- Is concise
- Illustrates the practical applications of the theory of the subject
- Tries to link lecture material to laboratory/practical work
- Avoids trivial, time-filling material Stimulates students to think independently
- Does not ridicule wrong answers
- Evenly spaces requirements of written work
- Imparts enthusiasm for subject
- Refers to the latest development in the subject
- Sets clear objectives for the student
- Readily considers students' viewpoints
- Has a good sense of humour
- Writes legibly
- Appears confident and at ease
- Allows questions
- Gets students to work willingly
- Points out the links between various subjects
- Is well-informed in fields other than, but related to, own special subjects
- Avoids an excess of factual details &- Provides full references to books, papers, etc.
- Has a sympathetic attitude toward students
- Avoids forcing own point of view
- Is spontaneously friendly
- Appreciates students' own accomplishments
- Appears to enjoy teaching
- Uses appropriate illustrative teaching aids (slides, films, programs, models, charts, etc.)
- Has a pleasantly modulated voice
- Has a good vocabulary
- Avoids distracting personal mannerisms
- Has a democratic approach
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