Re: [Phys-l] Lecture Isn't Effective: More Evidence #2

[carmelo@pacific.net.sg]

Quoting Jack Uretsky <jlu@hep.anl.gov>:

> Hi all-
>  	I suggest that the proposition, "lecture is inefficient", as a
> generality, is probably unprovable, it not meaningless.  There are a large
> variety of ways for a teacher to work with students, and the effectiveness
> of any one approach may vary greatly dependent upon external
> circumstances.  Just for starters, there are individuals who post to this
> net who reveal themselves as boring pedants.  Such individuals should
> probably avoid lecturing, although I once had a great course from such an
> individual.  I spent a lot of time reading the lecture notes.

Inquiry based methods may have unpredictable consequences. There are  
gender differences in small group discussion in physics. In one study,  
majority-male groups males tended to ignore females and direct their  
explanations to the other males. However, females tended to direct  
their explanations to males in both majority-female and majority-male  
groupings. In addition, females were more likely than males to give  
extended explanations...

The best students may learn much faster through “independent learning”  
such as reading classic texts, lecture notes and occasional guidance.


Best regards,
Alphonsus