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

[carmelo@pacific.net.sg]

Lecture can be relatively more effective for chinese students than  
american students because chinese can be more polite during lectures,  
as you have explained. You also explained that “American students will  
let you know if they are bored”; this may explain the perception why  
lecture is ineffective in US. The main point here is the different  
effects of lecture on students from different cultures.

Essentially speaking, lecture is an example of direct instruction.  
There are also reports that direct instruction can be successful.  
http://www.illinoisloop.org/di.html
Although these reports could be slightly exaggerating, there should be  
time for direct instruction, and there should be time for inquiry or  
Minds-on lesson.

Another problem is the methodology of the research. Are they comparing  
with the best “traditional lecture method”? Are all Feynman Lectures  
failures? You may want to read Nancy Duarte’s “Resonate, Present  
Visual Stories that Transform Audiences.” She analyzed some of the  
best presentations ever made, including Feynman’s gravity lecture.  
(She helped to change the slides of Al Gore in “An Inconvenient Truth.”)

The analysis of Feynman’s “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” can  
be found in this website:
http://www.duarte.com/books/resonate/feynmans-sparkline/

She has analyzed and found five components in Feynman lecture:  
wonderment, questions, challenges, craziness and speaking. Lecture  
should not be as ineffective if the instructors adopt the best  
practices of traditional lectures.


Best regards,
Alphonsus



Quoting John Clement <clement@hal-pc.org>:

> But how does she know that they were really engaged and learned well?  Just
> observing a lecture does not tell you what is going on in the minds of the
> students.  This is one of the problems with what people believe.  You have
> to pre and posttest to see what has actually happened and not rely on what
> you see.  Chinese students are certainly more polite and out of respect
> would try to appear attentive, but this does not show what processing was
> actually going on.  They will appear attentive even when no significant
> processing is going on.  American students will let you know if they are
> bored.
>
>
> John M. Clement
> Houston, TX