Mark Edmundson Why Teach Analysis

Teaching is an evolving practice. There are always new and innovative ways to pass knowledge down to the next generation of minds. Sometimes the old methods are the most effective, but not when it comes to lecturing. Even though some people think that lectures are a good way to get information out quickly and efficiently, they lack engaged students and interaction between peers, and little room for technology which can all be key component to a successful classroom. The issue that lectures often bring up is that they tend to lack engaged students. After a certain period of time, if students are just constantly listening to a professor speak to them in front of the class, naturally, their minds will drift. If students spend the majority …show more content…
The trick is to keep them interested and engaged. Lectures do the exact opposite of that, and it's hard to do well in the course if that is the only element of it. In the book ‘Why Teach?’, the author, Mark Edmundson discusses in one of his essays what a ‘good’ teacher looks like, “Good teachers perceive the world in alternative ways and they strive to get their students to test out these new, potentially enriching perspectives” (Edmunson 181). This alternative way of teaching by doing something new and innovative, instead of just talking at the students, can help keep the material fresh and interesting. I took a course this semester that was a nearly two-hour long class, and my professor lectures for the whole duration of that time. We get a five-minute break at the hour mark, and then she resumes her lecture for the rest of the time. I like my professor a lot and am very fascinated by the material in the course, but at some point, my mind does tend to drift, and I hate to say it, but I end up on my phone. As I have talked to other people in …show more content…
It helps to bounce ideas off of one another in a learning environment because some people think differently than others. Sometimes there is a point of view that others have never taken into consideration before. This is a big part of why discussion is such a vital element to a successful classroom. In a study done by Fassil Fanta and Inoussa Boubacar called “Experiential Vs. Lecture Based Teaching”, they show whether or not lecture is truly an effective form of teaching. They mention in their article that, “The traditional lecture format mainly emphasizes on giving information rather than learning and tends to reinforce performance goal orientation” (Fanta, par. 3). It's completely reasonable to have educational goals. I have them, and everyone that goes to college has them. However, a line has to be drawn at some point when the information is not truly understood, it's just being memorized and regurgitated for a score. The lecture method is a good approach when a professor wants to get the information out, but the only way that information can be learned by the students, is if they put it to use. This is a good way for discussion to be a key factor in a successful class. It is good for ideas to come from everyone, and for everyone to talk about those possibilities, and for their own ideas to be challenged and defended. It's an extremely

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