Interactive Lecturing A Handbook for College Faculty

Tips and techniques to build interactive learning into lecture classes

Have you ever looked out across your students only to find them staring at their computers or smartphones rather than listening attentively to you? Have you ever wondered what you could do to encourage students to resist distractions and focus on the information you are presenting? Have you ever wished you could help students become active learners as they listen to you lecture?

Interactive Lecturing is designed to help faculty members more effectively lecture. This practical resource addresses such pertinent questions as, “How can lecture presentations be more engaging?” “How can we help students learn actively during lecture instead of just sitting and passively listening the entire time?” Renowned authors Elizabeth F. Barkley and Claire H. Major provide practical tips on creating and delivering engaging lectures as well as concrete techniques to help teachers ensure students are active and fully engaged participants in the learning process before, during, and after lecture presentations.

Research shows that most college faculty still rely predominantly on traditional lectures as their preferred teaching technique. However, research also underscores the fact that more students fail lecture-based courses than classes with active learning components. Interactive Lecturing combines engaging presentation tips with active learning techniques specifically chosen to help students learn as they listen to a lecture. It is a proven teaching and learning strategy that can be readily incorporated into every teacher’s methods.

In addition to providing a synthesis of relevant, contemporary research and theory on lecturing as it relates to teaching and learning, this book features 53 tips on how to deliver engaging presentations and 32 techniques you can assign students to do to support their learning during your lecture. The tips and techniques can be used across instructional methods and academic disciplines both onsite (including small lectures and large lecture halls) as well as in online courses.

This book is a focused, up-to-date resource that draws on collective wisdom from scholarship and practice. It will become a well-used and welcome addition for everyone dedicated to effective teaching in higher education.

ELIZABETH F. BARKLEY is professor of music history at Foothill College, Los Altos, California. She is a scholar, educator, and consultant with over 40 years of experience as an innovative and reflective college instructor.

CLAIRE HOWELL MAJOR is professor of higher education at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her expertise is in teaching and learning in higher education and in qualitative research methods.

Acknowledgments xi

About the Authors xiii

Part One: A Conceptual Framework for Interactive Lecturing

1 Lecture versus Active Learning: Reframing the Debate 3

The Lecture 4

Active Learning 5

The Debate: Lecture versus Active Learning 7

Reconsidering the Debate: How We Frame It Matters 12

Conclusion 13

Notes 14

2 Integrating Lectures and Active Learning 15

The Interactive Lecturing Model 16

Engaging Presentations 17

Active Learning 21

Conclusion 28

Part Two: Engaging Presentation Tips

3 Setting Goals 33

References 34

TIP 1 Big Why, Little Why 35

TIP 2 SMART Lecture-Learning Goals 38

TIP 3 Student Characteristics Analysis 42

TIP 4 Presentation Persona 48

4 Creating Content 51

TIP 5 Sticky Note Diagrams 52

TIP 6 Brainstorming 55

TIP 7 Logical Patterns 58

TIP 8 Rule of Three 62

5 Structuring the Session 65

TIP 9 Linked Lecturettes 66

TIP 10 Select-a-Structure 68

TIP 11 Bookends, Interleaves, and Overlays 71

TIP 12 Lecture Plan 73

TIP 13 Double Planning 76

6 Leveraging the Language 79

TIP 14 Aristotelian Triptych 80

TIP 15 Signposts 82

TIP 16 Internal Previews and Summaries 87

TIP 17 High-Impact Language 89

7 Designing Effective Audiovisuals 92

TIP 18 Template Temperance 94

TIP 19 Less Is More 97

TIP 20 Context Keeper 101

TIP 21 Invisible Slide 103

TIP 22 Slide Replacements 106

8 Crafting Handouts and Supplements 108

TIP 23 Lecture Map 109

TIP 24 Content-Rich Handout 114

TIP 25 Infodeck 118

TIP 26 Annotated Reference Page 121

9 Demonstrating Readiness 124

TIP 27 Out Loud 125

TIP 28 Lecture Supply Kit 127

TIP 29 Dress for Success 129

TIP 30 Book and Check 131

10 Generating Enthusiasm and Interest 133

TIP 31 Lecture Preview 135

TIP 32 Meet and Greet 138

TIP 33 Icebreakers 140

TIP 34 Keep the Lights On 142

TIP 35 The Hook 144

TIP 36 Value Display 147

11 Managing the Session 149

TIP 37 Terms of Engagement 150

TIP 38 Classroom Technology Policy 153

TIP 39 Silent Signals 156

TIP 40 Every Minute Matters 158

TIP 41 Extensions 160

12 Presenting Like a Professional 163

TIP 42 To Script, or Not to Script? 164

TIP 43 Weatherperson 167

TIP 44 Pedagogical Moves 169

TIP 45 Voice Modulation 172

13 Asking and Answering Questions 174

TIP 46 Write a Question 176

TIP 47 Echo Chamber 178

TIP 48 Wait Time 180

TIP 49 Right Means Right 182

14 Signaling the Takeaways 184

TIP 50 The Synthesis 185

TIP 51 The Connector 187

TIP 52 The Power Close 189

TIP 53 The Graceful Goodbye 191

Part Three: Active Learning Techniques

15 Actively Preparing 198

ALT 1 Active Reading Documents 200

ALT 2 Know-Wonder-Learned 204

ALT 3 Two-Minute Question-Development Talks 209

ALT 4 Individual Readiness Assurance Tests 212

16 Anticipating and Predicting New Information 216

ALT 5 Update Your Classmate 217

ALT 6 Sentence Stem Predictions 221

ALT 7 Guess and Confirm 227

ALT 8 Preview Guide 232

17 Listening for Information 237

ALT 9 Advance Organizers 238

ALT 10 Lecture Bingo 245

ALT 11 Listening Teams 249

ALT 12 Live-Tweet Lecture 253

18 Taking Notes 258

ALT 13 Guided Notes 260

ALT 14 Cued Notes 264

ALT 15 Coded Notes 269

ALT 16 Note-Taking Pairs 274

ALT 17 Sketch Notes 278

19 Rehearsing Information 288

ALT 18 Translate That! 289

ALT 19 Think-Pair-Share 293

ALT 20 Snap Shots 297

20 Applying Information 302

ALT 21 Thick and Thin Questions 304

ALT 22 Support a Statement 309

ALT 23 Intrigue Journal 313

ALT 24 Real-World Applications 317

21 Checking Understanding 320

ALT 25 Pre-Post Freewrite 322

ALT 26 One-Sentence Summary 327

ALT 27 3-2-1 331

ALT 28 RSQC2 336

22 Reflecting and Metacognition 341

ALT 29 Punctuated Lecture 343

ALT 30 Post-Lecture Knowledge Survey 347

ALT 31 Lecture Wrapper 352

ALT 32 Lecture Engagement Logs 356

References 363

Name Index 379

Subject Index 383

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