2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A useful read, October 14, 2009
This review is from: Lecturing: A Practical Guide (Paperback)
Sally Brown co-authors Lecturing: A Practical Guide with her husband, Phil Race. Sally Brown is Pro Vice-Chancellor at Leeds Metropolitan University, in the United Kingdom. Brown has authored a number of books in the area of academic assessment, following twenty years as a lecturer. Her work focuses on the topics of pedagogy, assessment, and inclusiveness. Race is also an academic, specializing in assessment. Together they hold workshops in England for fellow academics to improve their pedagogical skills.
This book approaches the topic from the beginning, i.e. what is lecturing. There is a thoughtful discussion of the rationale behind why academics lecture at all. Is it to put knowledge into a context? Is it to strengthen understanding? Or to build enthusiasm? When reading this chapter it really drives one to examine their own motivations behind how and why they teach in the manner that they do.
As the analysis unfolds, the two foremost strengths of the book are revealed. The first is in the thoroughness of the analysis. It addresses multiple factors that can impact a lecture. Some of these aspects may seem obvious such as delivering lectures in a monotone or being disorganized, while other aspects are more easily missed. For example, the environment of the room itself has multiple impacts on a lecture. Brown and Race address many of them, including evident ones such as acoustics and temperature. They thoughtfully include others that may be less obvious but which can equally interfere with the learning process. These environmental issues can include pillars and posts, inadequate entrances, and improper size and types of rooms for the type of learning communities involved. Brown and Race provide a number of solutions for each potential problem.
There is a substantial chapter on lecture tools. This chapter was very useful. It discusses at length different types of learning aids; white boards, overheads, and power points, etc. Clicker technology is not addressed, but this is due to the newness of the technology and the book's publication date of 2002. A future revision of the book would hopefully allow this section of the book to be updated. In addition to addressing the pitfalls one can fall into when relying on technology, this section provides very practical tips to maintain the students focus.
In addition to offering many suggestions that would improve a lecturer's delivery, the book addresses aspects such as post and pre lecture preparation, and linking lectures to other learning activities. This aspect is crucial since if students cannot see any significant application they may discount the information as irrelevant.
The final section of the book addresses embracing diverse students. It provides useful information regarding assumptions instructors make that restrict differently- abled students' learning and ways that these students needs can be met.
The second strength of this book, in addition to its thoroughness, is that it gives both the perspectives, that of the student and the lecturer. This provides for a richness of insight. As one reads, one recognizes many similar situations that they may have faced as an instructor. Because the book also provides students' reactions to the same situations, it really illuminates the differences in the perspective that can be found in the same room. In fact, some of the differences in perspective can be both shocking and dismaying. As one reads one constantly is questioning one's own methodology. (Have I done that? What can I do to avoid doing that? )
I did not perceive any major weaknesses in this book. Even when taking into consideration that it was written by British authors and the slight differences in phrases or academic terms, it was easy to comprehend and a pleasure to read.
I highly recommend this book to any instructor hoping to improve his or her technique and lecturing style. I believe that it would be useful in any stage of ones career, either to help
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful for lectures of any size, September 5, 2007
This review is from: Lecturing: A Practical Guide (Paperback)
This book is exactly what it says it is...a guide to lecturing. While it does not presuppose that lecturing is the best pedagogical model, it does assume an institution where lecturing predominates (as is the case in many UK institutions). The authors integrate some humor making it an entertaining read. The most valuable aspect of the book is the student perspective (as presented by the non-student authors) as this can get lost in a lecture of 300-500 students.
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