THE LECTURE:Boon or bane?

Dilip Nair, M.D.Family & Community Health

The lecture is the most inefficient method of diffusing culture. It became obsolete with the invention of printing [and more so with the invention of the internet.]

It survives only in our universities and their lay imitators, and a few other backward institutions...”

B.F. Skinner, Walden Two, 1946Cited in Residents as Teachers: A Guide to Educational Practice,

Schwenk and Whitman, 1993Emphasis mine.

Are lectures worth giving in

medical education?

Nothing is worse than a poor lecture, disorganized and badly delivered. But nothing is more effective than a good lecture, combining substance with showmanship.

Change Magazine, 1978

What makes a lecture effective?

Style Matters

Dr. Fox Effect

Neal Whitman’s experiment

Goal

More effective Lectures

at

JCESOM

Objectives

• To Ask Clarifying Questions Regarding:

– Lecture Construction

– Lecture Delivery

Outline

• Lecture Construction– Appropriate Tool– Adequate Accessories

• Lecture Delivery– Rapport– Attention

Lecture Construction:Appropriate Tool?

• Overall Teaching Goals

• Specific Learning Objectives

• Format

• Organization

• Content

Question 1

How Do Lectures Fit into the

Big Pedagogical Picture?

Big Pedagogical Picture

• Active Learning vs. Passive Learning

• Instructional Dialogue

• Assigned Independent Study

Question 2

Is a Lecture Appropriate for the

Specific Learning Objectives?

Taxonomy of Objectives

• Cognitive

• Affective

• Behavioral

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognition

EvaluationSynthesisAnalysis

Application

ComprehensionKnowledge

Question 3

What is the most appropriateFormat

for the lecture?

Lecture Format

• Expository

• Participatory

Question 4

Is the Lecture adequatelyOrganized?

Lecture Organization

• Introduction

• Preview and Overview

• Body

• Conclusion

Question 5

What is the most appropriateContent

for the lecture?

Lecture Content

• Selected Concepts

• Scarce Information

• Complex Information

Outline

• Lecture Construction– Appropriate Tool– Adequate Accessories

• Lecture Delivery– Rapport– Attention

Lecture Construction:Adequate Accessories

• PowerPoint

• Handout

• Demonstrations

• Speaker’s Notes

Question 6

Are the PowerPoint slides

appropriate?

PowerPoint Slides

• Legibility

• Simplicity

• Utility

Question 7

What is the most appropriateHandout?

Handouts

• Purpose

• Format

Question 8

What Practical Demonstrations

might be helpful?

Demonstrations

• Guests

• Models

• Analogies

• Anecdote

Question 9

WhatSpeaker’s Notes

might be helpful?

Speaker’s Notes

• Reference material

• Optimal speaking style

Outline

• Lecture Construction– Appropriate Tool– Adequate Accessories

• Lecture Delivery– Rapport– Attention

Question 10

What might facilitateRapport

with the Learners?

Lecture Delivery:Rapport

• Beginning

• Continuing

• Ending

Question 11

What might facilitate theAttention

of the learners?

Lecture Delivery:Attention

• Non-verbal communication

• Speaking

• Interacting

Where Have We Been?

• Lecture Construction– Appropriate Tool– Adequate Accessories

• Lecture Delivery– Rapport– Attention

Why Did We Go There?

• To Ask Clarifying Questions Regarding:

– Lecture Construction

– Lecture Delivery

Question 12

Are lectures worth giving in

medical education?

Answer:

YES!

BUT:Thoughtfully constructed

&Carefully Delivered