Image 1, Flickr Commons (Library of Virginia)
Article:
de Winstanley, Patricia Ann, and Robert A. Bjork. (2002). Successful lecturing: Presenting information in ways that engage effective processing. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 89, 19-31.
Monday afternoon, nine colleagues gathered on the third floor of Mullen library to kick-off the first CUA Library Instruction Journal Club (LIJC).*
de Winstanley and Bjork’s article begins by examining the actual goals behind the lecture—a term that has gained an increasingly negative connotation in recent years. As a group, we brainstormed our own objectives (optimistic and realistic) behind the lecture and came up with the following:
- To impart basic information to large (sometimes small) groups of individuals
- Convey new information
- Increase students’ enthusiasm
- To entertain
- To keep our job
These objectives then led to a discussion about what attributes our favorite past instructors had had.
Again, our list:
- Knowledgeable
- Interested
- Passionate
- Taught with clarity and simplicity
- Told stories
- Involved multiple senses (where one exceptional music instructor used a cake— providing both a visual and gustatory aid)
We listened to a short excerpt from WNYC-Radiolab to better illustrate the complexities of human learners as noted in the article, namely
1) learning is an interpretive process, relating to what
is already known,
2) information retrieval is a fallible process, and
3) retrieving information from memory is a potent
learning event.
After discussing the difficulties of how much should be reviewed and how to deal with unmotivated students, director Dr. Kim Kelley posed the rhetorical question “Are our goals manageable for a 50 min session?” Are they? Perhaps a topic for another LIJC.
Group members were quick to point out seeming contradictions in the article. For example, although PowerPoint was cited as dividing student attention, the use of visual images, mnemonics, graphs, film, and figures was encouraged as a technique to enhance processing.
In closing, I asked group members to share take-away elements of the article. What personally did they want to try in their own instruction? Answers ranged from making the material relevant to using word games and trivia in large groups. Others liked the idea of simple Lessig style presentations and making encoding possible by having students engage with the materials in small group settings. In toto the lively group participation made for an informative hour and a successful exchange of ideas.
More Info:
Missed the first meeting? Join us throughout the summer, the third Monday of each month at 2:00pm, where a different presenter will guide our discussion.
*LIJC is designed as a semi-structured gathering for library personnel to discuss scholarly articles relevant to library instruction and related topics (e.g., technology, pedagogy, students’ perceptions/misconceptions, involving faculty, active learning etc.).
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