In my class I generally lecture and ask questions. As I alluded to in earlier posts, I want to move more towards a discussion based environment. This week's reading was very useful in terms of presenting tips for effective lectures and discussions. I think that discussion based classes are very important in the field of communication, therefore this information is of particular relevance to me. Finally, given the previous points it is clear that these are strategies I will incorporate into my classroom.
What was most useful in the readings was about lectures and why they are ineffective. While reading about lectures I can see things in my lectures that aren't working. Also, during the teaching presentations I have been able to note things that I do in my lecture that I don't necessarily find helpful as a student. Given all of this new information I will be changing how I do lectures in my classroom. I think that incorporating discussion into lectures will be key in helping students reach their maximum potential. The combination of discussion and lecture are essential to the field of communication.
It is my opinion that in the field of communication we should be doing just that, communicating. By incorporating discussion into the communication classroom we can help students become more involved in the processes that we teach. For example, this week in my lecture on audience analysis we stopped and took a moment and analyzed ourselves as an audience. I guess my main line of thought is that since we are constantly studying communication we can take a moment and study ourselves within the classroom context. In addition to using ourselves as examples in communication, an arguably large part of the field is being able to support your arguments.
In the classroom, students need the life skill of backing themselves up. I feel that communication courses are the starting point of this skill. We are covering more than just how to speak effectively in a public setting, we are also teaching students how to back up their claims. I believe that by holding discussions rather than lectures we are encouraging students to be critical thinkers of their work. We also get the opportunity to ask students why they hold an opinion and help them to build skills to support their arguments. Finally, discussions can give students the opportunity to see other viewpoints.
Viewpoints of other students are very important to the classroom. By using discussion we can bring these viewpoints out into the foreground. Hopefully some of these viewpoints will teach students new ways to see vital issues, and the world at large. Another technique that the text recommends, which I feel is important to our field, is asking students to argue the position that runs counter to theirs. This is a fantastic way to get students to broaden their worldview, and learn how to formulate a solid argument. Finally, it teaches students not only how to think, but also new ways to think.
Mixing discussion with lectures enhances student thinking, which is why it is something I would like to incorporate into my classroom. I think that there is much value to be had in having good student discussions. As the semester progresses I am seeing a willingness in my students to discuss and participate in class activities. I think that the ides the text offers are valid in terms of facilitating discussion. I broke my class into small groups to discuss a video clip on Monday, then brought them back into a larger discussion as the text recommends. I must say that the results were outstanding. My students were lively participants, and we had an engaging conversation on audience analysis that brought up aspects of the clip that I hadn't considered. This is how I feel a communication classroom should operate, and how I would like mine to be in the future.
This week's readings provided many relevant and useful pieces of information. I feel that the elements of an effective lecture were very helpful. Also, the use of discussion in the classroom is essential in our field. Suggestions surrounding these two items are things I would like to incorporate into my own classroom.
Helpful links:
Discussions
Electronic discussions, and more helpful hints
Lectures
Additional points of consideration in lecturing
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ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your blog, Jared, though I must confess that, after COMM 491, it's strange to see so many consecutive paragraphs uninterrupted by a YouTube clip. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's also great to hear about your teaching triumphs, and see how you work through some of the problems that we inevitably encounter in the classroom (e.g., the dreaded blank stare). You are doing an excellent job relating your teaching experience to the reading, and bringing what you have learned from the readings back to the classroom. I encourage you to continue to devote a good amount of discussion to how you would go about implementing the most useful ideas.
For future entries, I'd like to see more detail from the readings themselves. This detail may include a brief summary of the idea you are discussing, or additional rationale (from the authors) for why a particular concept - like discussion - is important. It would also be helpful to get a bit more context on the relevance of the "Helpful links" provided at the bottom of each entry.