Presenting For Learning

The most common role for professors in the classroom is to present ideas. The lecture is the primary presentation strategy and can be a very effective one. In fact, the reason most students complain about lectures is not because they are presentations but because they do not use effective presentation strategies. This tip offers some ideas on how you might make your lectures more effective.

Preparing

A good lecture involves more than repeating knowledge about a subject. It requires careful designing to reach a particular audience. After outlining your ideas on the topic, try some of these tips.

Identify Central Ideas. Mark the most important material and decide how to give it special attention. Feature key ideas at the beginning and end of the lecture. Create an overhead. Devise and repeat a "bumper sticker" phrase. Do NOT assume that learners will pick the main idea out of the flow of words.

Select a Lecture Type. There are a number of approaches to the lecture depending on content, audience, and purpose. Choose whether you want to deliver an oral essay, a participatory lecture, a problem solving proof, emotional presentation, mini-lecture, or model analysis. Ask the CIRT for Peter Frederick's essay describing these and several other types.

Structure. Find a structure that will keep your points and examples organized in a way students can easily recall. Plan logical breaks since few people can listen to 50 uninterrupted minutes.

Scale. Experts' statements are often too subtle and complex for beginners. Effective lecturers restate complex ideas in more accessible ways.

Barbara Davis offers a range of ideas for preparing large lectures. Call the CIRT for a copy of her chapter.

Presenting

A well-designed lecture deserves effective presentation. Rather than emulating an entertainer to keep your students' interest, try these suggestions.

Connect. A study of award winning lecturers found that their presentations work because they are able to point out important connections to students. For an interesting review of these findings, ask the CIRT for the essay.

Clarity. Use outlines, overheads, repetition, summaries and any other techniques that keep the main ideas and the structure of your lecture clear and apparent.

Change Pace. Students' attention will wander after about 15 minutes. Change pace to re-engage them. At the planned breaks in your lecture (see above) give students brief opportunities to participate. For more ideas on changing pace, ask for a copy of Middendorf and Kalish's essay, "The 'Change-Up' in Lectures".

Participation

While not all lecture styles are designed to engage students for more than a few minutes at a time, the use of more interactive techniques in conjunction with a lecture can reinforce and extend its main points. Here are some ideas you might try.

Quick Thinks. Introduce a variety of activities to get students engaged. Give them a minute or two to write down ideas, draw a picture of a dilemma, share with a neighbor, or note a question. Questions written on 3" x 5" cards can be collected for your information or for redistribution to other students who will be less hesitant to pose someone else's questions.

Reaction Sheets. At the end of the lecture give students a page with questions like "What ideas struck you?" "What ideas do you question?" Have students share ideas in pairs then ask for samples to share in the large group.

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs). CATs such as "Focused Listing" or " Empty Outlines" require students to reconstruct and review material just covered in your presentation. For complete details ask the CIRT for more information.

Forced Debate. Debate is especially effective when your lecture contrasts two or more positions. You can divide the class into groups, giving several minutes to prepare a given position drawn from your lecture. Then moderate a debate among groups.

Final Comments

A good lecture is one of a college teacher's important tools. Because any lecture is an active experience for the lecturer, it is hard to remember that the student cannot be equally engaged. Marilla Svinicki has described some of the mistaken assumptions we make that lead us into bad lecturing habits (ask the CIRT for a copy). When, however, our lectures are well-prepared and delivered in effective ways, they provide an important source of learning for our students.

This Teaching Tip was first published by Indiana State University’s, Center for Teaching and Learning on November 16, 1998.