Active Learners in Lectures

Abstract

In this paper, we describe our involvement in a BEd compulsory special education unit where we attempt to make large group lectures a meaningful learning experience for all students. The large group lecture style is a common feature of university teaching, particularly in those units where alternative teaching methods are made difficult by large numbers of enrolled students. Reference is made to the interaction between teaching which takes place in lectures and complementary forms of teaching such as small group seminars. Strategies that have been implemented since this particular unit was first offered in 1999 are considered. These strategies include interactive learning tasks that take place during the lecture, the use of printed lecture notes as instructional scaffolds and questioning techniques. The nature of the teaching team, individual teaching styles and the ways that different professional experiences may be used to promote learning are discussed. We identify instructional techniques that we consider successful but also those which have limited success. Finally, we provide our own perspectives in an effort to further refine some of the shared techniques.