I would also offer to this thread a plea to retain a healthy mix of
lecture, readings, and 'watchings' into the pedagogical mix along with
the more interactive methods. The reason--think of how we all learn
today, on our own. We do so by reading (maybe even this list!), by
listening (perhaps to actual lectures or similar audio media) and we
watch TV programs (this list probably more Science, History, and
Discovery channel content than most). We can't (immediately) play off
of others in these endeavors, we don't have study/activity guides, our
learning is not conveniently programmed to 'fit' within a given class
period. Yet, MOST learning is done OUTSIDE the classroom. To me, this
means that the skills to learn from listening, from reading, and from
watching our really the essential life-long learning skills. We have
had many threads in the past bemoaning the reading skills of our current
students, and I have commented on how dismal many students are in
drawing information from any kind of extended video material (more than
3 minutes). We really all know that many do not pick up well on what we
say in class. So is the solution to give up on reading, listening, and
watching despite the importance of these skills for later learning, or
should we be stressing all three more in our classrooms, understanding
these as activities that are normally done alone. What REALLY serves
the students best in the long run?
rwt
--
Richard Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College