Howard Community College Improving Student Learning and College Teaching
	By Dr. James Bell, Professor of Psychology with help from the HCC Faculty October 1998

Ideas on Lecturing from a Variety of Places and People

What are Some of the Disadvantages of the Lecture Method?

1. Some of the students may already know the content of the lecture while some may not be ready for the lecture.

2. Lectures are group paced.

3. It is difficult to maintain student interest and attention for a full hour of lecture.

4. The communication is mostly one-way communication from the teacher to her students. Usually there is little student participation. The students who do participate are few in number and tend to be the same students each class.

5. Most students have not learned to take good notes.

6. Lecture information is forgotten quickly, during and after the lecture.

7. There is no immediate and direct check of whether learning has taken place.

8. Lectures are not effective when teaching thinking objectives.

9. The lecture method encourages student dependence on the teacher.

10. Few teachers have been taught how to lecture effectively.

11. Students are not very active when only listening.

Lecturing, Ideas from a Variety of Places and People: Advantages | Disadvantages |
Ways to Get Feedback | Ideas to Consider | Ways to Help Students Write Better Notes |
Changing to Another Approach Every 10 Min | Selected Sources on Lecturing

Ideas to Improve Learning: Lecturing | Cooperative Learning |
Teaching Enrichment | Active Learning | Expectations of High School Graduates

Faculty Resources: All College Teachers | Psychology Teachers |
Teaching Thinking | Increasing Student Learning | Outcomes Assessment | What’s New?

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Last updated on 28 Aug 2003
© Howard Community College, 2002

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