During a workshop facilitated by Marty Wall, we learned about the art and craft of lecturing. The workshop was centered around enhancing student learning through lecturing. The students spend most of their time learning outside of the lectures given. Therefore, the lectures should be seen as a tool to enhance their learning outside of the classroom.

The craft of lecturing consists of acquired skills, while the art is the ability and awareness to enhance learning at the highest level. The craft skill set can be trained and honed over years of teaching. This skills set consists of oral/performance and organizational skills. Everyone can learn these skills and are essential to a good lecturer. The art is more difficult to obtain and comes from years of experience.

We will first discuss some of the oral skills. Marty explicitly stated that you have to act as an extrovert in front of the class and you can’t be an introvert. You are required to emote, present that material clearly and interact with the students. This makes the class lively and engaging.

Technology aids may be used to promote this engagement. You can present data from questionnaires that are answered by the students using their smartphones. This goes beyond using static power-point slides and may improve learning. We have discussed some of these technologies in a previous post on active learning. Another way to get feedback from the students after class is to have them write a 1 minute essay. These are handed in at the end of the class and this feedback can be integrated in the lectures later.

The second is the organization and structure of the lecture. The students need to be in good hands while attending the lectures. This requires a well constructed syllabus for the course and, an understanding of where the course lives within the program. This keeps students motivated as they know why the course is important for their development. The organization of the lectures is aided by drafting appropriate intended learning outcomes (ILOs). These can be divided into a series of lectures.

Management of the course, which involves how the homework is marked, contact hours of the TA and having points of intervention for students. Need to well setup that they don’t interfere with the lectures. Questions related to those issues may reduce valuable time with the students.

Tricks and Tools that Marty bestowed upon us during that class were amble. The performance piece of the lecture is important. Playing with silence can be very powerful to allow the students to focus. By doing skits or demonstrations you may enhance retention of the student. Marty recalled some experiences that students would return to him many years later recalling skits he did in class. This indicated to me that the students really enjoyed those moments and made them memorable.

Another important note is to never get angry with students and the power of a smile. When you smile and make eye contact with the students, they feel comfortable and are willing to work harder. When you get angry you will never get them on your side.

The Art can only be obtained from years of experience. The Art also requires emotional intelligence, to have the awareness of the mood in the class room and students.

The art is about the process that evolves during the lecture and not the product at the end of the lecture. Students are learning when they are engaged, actively participating and putting in the time at home. The lecture should provide added value and give them something they can get on their own.

A great quote that was mentioned is “Education is not the filling of a pail (bucket), but the lighting of a fire.” by William Burlet Yeats

Lighting a fire relates to the student motivation. The motivation is cultivated when the students see value and when they do well they have confidence. If a teacher is able to instill confidence and explain the value of the course, the students will pursue learning.