Which is more effective way of teaching and learning; teaching by rigorous and thorough classroom teaching or teaching by brief explanation and then give references/materials to students for further reading?
Giving extra reading materials for further reading is valuable especially in some situations , with gifted students for example. in such method , the new materials will be memorized better and students get a chance to develop reading skills better . I mean , they will be able to practice skimming and scanning better.
The best approach depends on first on the students in the room and their position in the Perry scheme of intellectual development (other theories could also apply, such as Belenky, et. al or Baxter Magolda), and then on the subject matter under study. If we are talking about students prior to graduation from secondary school, direct instruction is probably more appropriate. As student progress through college, they *should* become more independent learners. At the undergraduate level, not all are able to, and some of those who can make that choice do not do so.
At the graduate or professional degree levels, the students should be able to learn more independently, but this again depends on the students and the subject matter. Subjects where the latter approach is less likely to work include languages, music, and other creative performance tasks.
Presence in the classroom giving a thorough lecture is and always has been my teaching preference. I love being in the classroom and the excitement and exuberance which I exhibit during lectures, always seems to rub off on my students — during both classroom and group discussions and in their writing. I always (always) give 100%+. And I always provide additional reference materials for students to use as a follow-up to my lectures, videos, etc. Providing additional reference materials just works.
As James Uhlenkamp suggests, it depends very much on the level of intellectual development of the students and on the topics being taught and learned. In my experience, it also depends on the soft skills of the students, such as discussed by Duckworth and other authors: grit, self-control, autonomy, initiative, perseverance, resilience.
The locus of control in the teaching/learning process varies along a continuum. When the students are dependent, all the control should be put in the hands of the teacher. When the students are very independent and mature, the whole control should be put in their hands. When their degree of autonomy is intermediate, the locus of control should be placed somewhere in the middle of the continuum.
Following Vygotsky’s inspiration, some teachers like to develop a zone of proximal development that gradually pushes the students from dependence to independence.
Thanks James Uhlenkamp , Clare Washington , and Antonio Dias de Figueiredo for your informative and valued responses
Traditionally it has been teachers giving lectures in class and leaving the application of knowledge entirely to students. However, this style of teaching is not effective as one does not really know if students have really grasped the topic or not as there is hardly any time left for interaction between teacher and students, and because each student has different capabilities of understanding the topic in one go during the lecture. Thus, it is important to provide reference material, presentations, video lectures etc. which are also easily available on Internet, prior to the class. The class session should be devoted more on active learning rather than just one way lecture flow.This active learning is the key to enhancing the grasping of knowledge and since students interact during class on topics through discussion amongst peers and with teachers, it stays with students without really memorizing the topics. Also, it helps in developing soft skills for the students, and makes them life-long learners, rather than being spoon fed.
That is an excellent pedagogical issue. The second option is more preferable than the first. In the first approach, all the instructional message is delivered by a classroom teacher, which made students passive during the teaching-learning process. in the second case, however, students will learn by filling in gaps during the instructional process that made them active in the process.
It is suggested that we teach so as to bring behavioral change among students. This is better realized when the students are made active during the process of teaching and learning. That is why scholars in the area prefer the second approach to the first one, which I already share.
The two modes cited in your question depend on both the teacher's astuteness for effective teachings and the degree of the students' IQ. Thus, the teacher should first sincerely evaluate himself/ herself and also know the students in question. However, meticulous teaching in the classroom before leaving the students with reference materials will always cut great ice.
Thank you.
Thanks Oluwasegun Samuel Odebiyi and Solomon Mengistie for your informative responses
In the era of globalization, all aspects of human life have changed towards a modernization. Likewise in the learning aspect, all methods are designed to be more modern and easy and fun. each student has different absorbing abilities towards the subject. the tendency to learn in the classroom for too long will bore students, the learning method should be dynamic and learning means we aim to understand and solve the issues coming from this universe...Cheers
I think team based learning is a good way of enhancing students to use their mind, if we teach thoroughly, it will be like spoon feeding and by that students will always return to us for solving problem, and that is not right, give them subject, supply them with reading materials and let them to negotiate with each other then answer some question that arise after the negotiation, I think its a very good way of teaching.
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