Lecturing
Lecturing is a strange thing. I’ve been doing it for a while now, but I’m still learning a lot. I gave my last undergraduate lecture for the academic year today, so I’ve been reflecting on the process.
Despite the fact that you are — ostensibly — just standing at the front and talking (with the occasional bit of laser pointer waving), it involves a surprising degree of parallel processing. I don’t use notes during lectures, but I do make sure that the text on the slides is detailed enough to prompt me with points that I might not remember on the spur of the moment (this also helps students on the handouts, or course). But typically, you’re trying to lead the audience through the points you’re making, linking ideas together to form a coherent story, sometimes between lectures or modules, and preparing them for a new idea, so there’s a lot of off-the-cuff improvisation around the bare content. I had an experience today when — as I was talking — I saw an acronym that I couldn’t immediately translate. As part of my brain was talking out loud about the first section, another part was fishing about for the expansion of the acronym. This time (it certainly doesn’t always pan out so well) it came up trumps just as I had to talk about the acronym, and slipped the speaking bit of the brain the right words very smoothly. Score!
I can’t speak for the students, but when this process works well, I find it extremely satisfying, almost like a mental/verbal equivalent of dancing. When it doesn’t work, it can be excruciating, stumbling over every idea and garbling explanations. Either way, it’s exhausting, so I’m glad to have a bit of a break before the next round.
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Recently I've been exposed to quite a lot of lecturing from the other side of the fence, having just started as a mature undergraduate student (in archaeology), some 30 years after my first (biology) degree. It is interesting to get an insight into what is going through the lecturer's mind when they are talking. I must say that although I had some excellent lecturers the first time round, the standard of lecturing has been uniformly good, I don't know if there is proper training in presenting lectures nowadays, or maybe the use of technology (powerpoint or whatever) helps.
On the other side of the coin, some of the behaviour of students is appalling, there is a contingent who, no matter what, continue to hold their own conversations throughout the lecture. One of the lecturers obviously exasperated by this behaviour very mildly apologised to them that the material he had to talk about was so dull, and asked them if they wanted to make any comments on what he had been saying. Of course there was silence, so still in a mild tone of voice "Oh! in that case please would you mind SHUTTING THE **** UP" the silence was broken by the sound of the guilty parties jaw's dropping to the floor.
by Keith @ 07/03/2007 3:53 pm • Permalink •
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I envy those who have the talent for public speaking. I -so- do not, though occasionally I've had to force myself to do it. If your lecturing style is at all like your blog writing style, your students are lucky!
I had a wonderful tour of Google, by the way (see http://www.electricpenguin.com/blatherings/archives/004282.html). Dear lord. I do love the freelance life, but I admit I briefly wavered in my resolution after seeing the Google offices and cafeteria. I'm amazed that all the Google-ites aren't spherical by now, what with all that wonderful free food.
by Inkygirl @ 09/03/2007 1:07 pm • Permalink •
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I can identify with Keith's comments, my elder daughter relates similar behaviour - including not turning up for lectures or even exams. Sounding like a gog again, sorry. On the other hand I'm trying some post grad research at a business school and all the students are keen and work really long days. Some kind of focus differential here? I've now been asked to stand in for someone and provide a lecture - not sure why I agreed as my public speaking skills are not the best.
by Julian @ 09/03/2007 3:46 pm • Permalink •
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Keith: :-D That's fantastic! If only I had the chutzpah to do that! Actually, I only have the occasional problem with students talking (or their phones going off), so it's not too bad. I've often wondered if Powerpoint helps or hinders, but I think there probably is more training now. When I started, it was more or less a case of "So, you'll give 5 lectures on X, and that's the lecture theatre. Good luck."
Inkygirl: Thanks! I really have no idea whether I'm good at it or not (it's hard to judge when you're the one talking), but I get reasonable feedback, so I must be doing something right. Google sounds fantastic! I'd certainly end up a blob if I worked there with all that wonderful free food. And you saw the iPhone! That I'm really jealous about!
Julian: Motivation certainly plays a part, as does maturity. We have a few mature students in some of the modules I teach, and they always pay attention.
by bsag @ 09/03/2007 6:01 pm • Permalink •
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