Abstract
Of all the strategies used in our teaching practice, lecture is perhaps one of the most common. Although we have acknowledged the pedagogical value of lecture, the traditional didactic format is usually a passive learning experience for students and it fails to engage them. As the lecture will remain a necessary method of teaching in education, we should enhance it, not drop it. One of the most effective methods to transform students from passive to active learners is to integrate lectures with various interactive strategies. This article aims to describe four interactive lecture strategies: connecting students’ prior knowledge to the objective of a lecture, organizing a lecture in a proper sequence, using different audiovisual devices, and providing opportunities to students to practice what they have learned. Since these strategies are simple, junior educators with little or no pedagogical training can use them with no loss of content or time.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Harden RM, Laidlaw JM. The lecture and teaching with large groups. In: Harden RM, Laidlaw JM, editors. Essential skills for a medical teacher: an introduction to teaching and learning in medicine. Amserdam: Elsevier; 2016. p. 167–74.
Huggett K, Jeffries WB. Overview of active learning research and rationale for active learning. In: Fornari A, Poznanski A, editors. How-to guide for active learning. Huntington: International Association of Medical Science Educators; 2015. p. 9–13.
Laidlaw JM. Twelve tips for lecturers. Med Teach. 1988;10(1):13–7. https://doi.org/10.3109/01421598809019320.
Butler JA. Use of teaching methods within the lecture format. Med Teach. 1992;14(1):11–25. https://doi.org/10.3109/01421599209044010.
Matheson C. The educational value and effectiveness of lectures. Clin Teach. 2008;5(4):218–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-498X.2008.00238.x.
Brown G, Manogue M. AMEE Medical Education Guide No. 22: refreshing lecturing: a guide for lecturers. Med Teach. 2001;23(3):231–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590120043000.
Cantillon P. Teaching large groups. In: Cantillon P, Wood D, editors. ABC of learning and teaching in medicine. Hoboken: Wiley; 2011. p. 19–22.
White G. Interactive lecturing. Clin Teach. 2011;8(4):230–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-498X.2011.00457.x.
Bligh DA. Evidence of what lectures achieve. In: What’s the use of lectures? Jossey-Bass; 2000. p. 3–20s.
Amin Z, Eng KH. Overview of teaching and learning methods. In: Amin Z, Eng KH, editors. Basics in Medical Education. 2009. p. 87–91.
Papp KK, Miller FB. The answer to stimulating lectures is the question. Med Teach. 1996;18(2):147–9. https://doi.org/10.3109/01421599609034150.
Long A, Lock B. Lectures and large groups. In: Swanwick T, editor. Understanding medical education: evidence, theory and practice. Hoboken: Wiley; 2011. p. 139–50.
King A. From sage on the stage to guide on the side. Coll Teach. 1993;41(1):30–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.1993.9926781.
McLaughlin K, Mandin H. A schematic approach to diagnosing and resolving lecturalgia. Med Educ. 2001;35(12):1135–42. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2001.01090.x.
Richardson D. Don’t dump the didactic lecture; fix it. Adv Physiol Educ. 2008;32(1):23–4. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00048.2007.
Jeffries WB. Teaching large groups. In: Huggett K, Jeffries WB, editors. An introduction to medical teaching. Netherlands: Springer; 2014. p. 11–26.
Stuart J, Rutherford RJ. Medical student concentration during lectures. Lancet. 1978;2(8088):514–6.
Brown G, Edmunds S. Lectures. In: Dent J, Harden RM, editors. A practical guide for medical teachers. 4th ed. UK: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2013. p. 61–8.
Steinert Y, Snell LS. Interactive lecturing: strategies for increasing participation in large group presentations. Med Teach. 1999;21(1):37–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421599980011.
Graffam B. Active learning in medical education: strategies for beginning implementation. Med Teach. 2007;29(1):38–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590601176398.
Huxham M. Learning in lectures: do ‘interactive windows’ help? Act Learn High Educ. 2005;6(1):17–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787405049943.
Silver HF, Perini MJ. Introducing the interactive lecture. In: The interactive lecture: how to engage students, build memory, and deepen comprehension. Alexandria: ASCD; 2010. p. 5–31.
Bligh DA. Factors influencing memory. In: What’s the use of lectures? Jossey-Bass; 2000. p. 23–43.
Stein M, Neill P, Houston S. Case discussion in clinical pharmacology: application of small group teaching methods to a large group. Med Teach. 1990;12(2):193–6.
Latif R. Impact of case-based lectures on students’ performance in vascular physiology module. Adv Physiol Educ. 2014;38(3):268–72. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00103.2013.
Schwartz PL. Active, small group learning with a large group in a lecture theatre: a practical example. Med Teach. 1989;11(1):81–6. https://doi.org/10.3109/01421598909146279.
Prober CG, Heath C. Lecture halls without lectures—a proposal for medical education. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(18):1657–9. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1202451.
Kaukfman D. Applying educational theory in practice. In: Cantillon P, Wood D, editors. ABC of learning and teaching in medicine. Hoboken: Wiley; 2011. p. 1–5.
Martini FH, Bartholomew EF. The nervous system. In: Martini FH, Bartholomew EF, editors. Essentials of anatomy & physiology: Pearson New International Edition. London: Pearson Education Limited; 2014. p. 219–74.
Kalogiannis S, Pagkalos I, Koufoudakis P, Dashi I, Pontikeri K, Christodoulou C. Integrated interactive chart as a tool for teaching metabolic pathways. Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2014;42(6):501–6. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.20820.
Dong C, Goh PS. Twelve tips for the effective use of videos in medical education. Med Teach. 2015;37(2):140–5. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159x.2014.943709.
Ventura S, Onsman A. The use of popular movies during lectures to aid the teaching and learning of undergraduate pharmacology. Med Teach. 2009;31(7):662–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590802641489.
Bligh DA. Factors affecting student’s attention. In: What’s the use of lectures? Jossey-Bass; 2000. p. 45–56.
Bachhel R, Thaman RG. Effective use of pause procedure to enhance student engagement and learning. J Clin Diagn Res. 2014;8(8):Xm01–xm03. https://doi.org/10.7860/jcdr/2014/8260.4691.
Amin Z, Eng KH. Effective lecture. In: Basics in Medical Education; 2009 p. 93–100.
Richards LW, Wang AT, Mahapatra S, Jenkins SM, Collins NM, Beckman TJ, et al. Use of the pause procedure in continuing medical education: a randomized controlled intervention study. Med Teach. 2017;39(1):74–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2016.1230664.
Rowe MB. Pausing principles and their effects on reasoning in science. New Direct Commun Coll. 1980;1980(31):27–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.36819803106.
Linsenmeyer M. Brief activities: questioning, brainstorming, think-pair-share, jigsaw, and clinical case discussions. In: Fornari A, Poznanski A, editors. How-to guide for active learning. Huntington: International Association of Medical Science Educators; 2015. p. 37–57.
Bligh DA. Overcoming common difficulties. In: What’s the use of lectures? Jossey-Bass; 2000 p. 214–231.
Elkowitz DE. Socratic questioning to engage learners. In: Fornari A, Poznanski A, editors. How-to guide for active learning. Huntington: International Association of Medical Science Educators; 2015. p. 89–99.
Cho YH, Lee SY, Jeong DW, Im SJ, Choi EJ, Lee SH, et al. Analysis of questioning technique during classes in medical education. BMC Med Educ. 2012;12(1):39. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-12-39.
Wilen W, Clegg A. Effective questions and questioning: a research review. Theor Res Soc Educ 1986;14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.1986.10505518.
Millis BJ. Active Learning Strategies in Face-to-Face Courses. IDEA Papers, vol 53. Manhattan: IDEA Centre; 2012. http://www.ideaedu.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/IDEA%20Papers/IDEA%20Papers/PaperIDEA_53.pdf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thwin, E.P.A., Lwin, Z. Simple Interactive Lecturing Strategies for Fostering Students’ Engagement and Active Participation. Med.Sci.Educ. 28, 203–209 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-017-0492-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-017-0492-3