Comparison between the Classic Lectures and the Small Group Discussion - Essay Example

Comparison between the ic lectures and the small group discussion Providing lectures in a ic way is considered to be one of the most successful and trusted methods of teaching. It has produced proven results and still continues to be one of the important aspects for success of any teaching curriculum. (Martin 1926) However, with the advent of latest technologies and advancements produced in several fields, universities have also started to experiment in the field of teaching. New methods of teaching are researched and their benefits and disadvantages are also under study. One of the recent developments found in the identification of different modes of teaching is the small group discussion technique. It has been put to practical use and has been providing some radical changes about the perspective that students had about teaching. However, there are certain dark areas about this method of teaching that are still needed to be put as questions to extract measurable answers. In order to identify whether this new approach will provide results in the long run, an analysis survey among the students is planned to take place. Based on the survey results, a decision could be brought out on whether this new method could eventually and completely replace the classic approach. This paper aims at determining those survey questions that are to be asked to the students of the Taif University. A general survey methodology which involves a comparison of two methods needs to identify pros and cons of each method and provide an accumulative result to the surveyor. Later, the surveyor could weigh the accumulated results of both the methods and can provide the results that either state which method is better or propose changes that could improve the aspects of the second coming method. Hence, it is critically important to determine the questions to be asked in the survey. The nature of the questions should be practical, argumentative and direct to the point. (Fowler 1995) Questions related with Classical Lecture method Classical Lecture Method has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantages Lecture method allows for a direct and logical interpretation of the facts and procedures. They provide an opportunity for the students to directly understand the concepts and techniques that are proven over the years. (Monroe 1915) Lecture method allows students to experience the concepts as and when they hear about it, through the speech of the lecturer. It allows them to easily grasp the concepts which they would have had a hard time to understand. Lecture method gives an equal opportunity for all of the students to get to know about the information that is explained. As far as this method goes, all students get equal information, provided if they all are attentive.(Hghert 1981) The ability of the lecturer plays a bigger part. Analysis, comparison and examples related to the lecture topic always enhance the studying interest of the listener. In addition, with the presence of a lecturer, there is always a guiding force for the students to look forward.(Lieberman 2004) Disadvantages The ability of the lecturer could act as a disadvantage too. If the lecturer does not have good oral communication skills, then he or she may falter in sending the right message to the listeners. Most often, there is no direct involvement of the listeners in any lecture, unless requested. This often creates a passive environment and many a times the lecturers’ fail to recognize whether the listeners are mentally involved in the session or not. (Donald 2000) Because communication in these lectures is most often in one way mode, there is high percentage of difficulty that could arise in understanding tedious subjects, irrespective of the number of virtual presentations that the lecturers could provide. (Bassey 1968) Another problem that could arise is that all listeners cannot cope up with the pace of the lecturer and understand at the same speed. Some may be slow in understanding the concepts whereas others who find the concepts to be easily understandable, may exhibit no interest in the lecture – an act that could send negative vibes across the whole group. The questions about classical lecture method should involve the points that are mentioned above. An opinion requested on any of the advantages or disadvantages that are discussed above would reveal a critical opinion about the effects of the classical lecture approach. Some example questions that could be asked in the survey include, opinion about the passive mode of learning, ability of the students in understanding concepts, whether there is possibility for alternative thinking during lectures, contrasting the logic that is actually explained etc. Small group discussion technique Small group discussion technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. Advantages It always keeps the participants interested as it does not provide the opportunity of spoon feeding and they have to fight for themselves if they want to come out in flying colors. Thus, it gives an opportunity to be challenging right from the beginning. (Pavitt 1994) It allows for an opportunity to think alternatively and also gives an idea about the number of resources that are available on the topic under discussion. In this way, people involved get to improve their searching knowledge as well as get the doors opened for knowledge sharing. Another critical advantage is that the progress of individual learning can be observed and analyzed. This allows for the guidance providers to understand where each of the students, stands in their understanding of the concepts. Another major advantage is that it allows for a discussion to happen which in turn would stir up even the quietest of listeners to express their opinions. Disadvantages Since practiced in a university, some may find it difficult to change to the new technique and may fail to apt the hardships of thinking individually and acting on it. Possibility of the involved participants to take upper hand in discussions, leaving the silent ones being ignored in the discussions. (LeFever 1996) Loss of critical points that the students may never come up on their own. Hence, the role of a guide is critical in bringing out all the relevant points. Similar to the classical lecture survey questions, the questions related to this method also involve the ideas about the advantages and disadvantages discussed above. In addition, since this is the new technology that is in question, it is necessary to involve questionnaires that get the personal opinion of the students about how the transformation affects their normal way of thinking. (Orlich 2009) Conclusion The questionnaires asked in the survey should be based on the pros and cons of each method. Such a set of questions would help great way to analyze the effects of each method on the performance of the students. Works Cited Martin, Dean. The Meaning of a Liberal Education. California: W.W. Norton & Company, 1926.Print Monroe, Paul. A Text-Book in the History of Education London:Macmillan, 1915. Print. Highet, Gilbert. The Art of Teaching, London: Taylor & Francis, 1981. Print. Lieberman, Ann. Teacher Leadership. California: Jossey-Bass, 2004. Print. Bassey, Michael. Learning methods in tertiary education. Internal paper Nottingham Regional College of Technology, 1968. Donald A. Bligh. What's the Use of Lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Print Pavitt, Charles. Small group discussion: a theoretical approach. Arizona: Gorsuch Scarisbrick, 1994. Print. Fowler, J. Floyd. Improving survey questions: design and evaluation. India: Sage Publications, 1995. Print. Orlich, Donald. et al. Teaching Strategies: A Guide to Effective Instruction. India: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. LeFever, Marlene. Creative Teaching Methods. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 1996. Print. Read More