Lecturing Interactively
Lecturing Interactively
Although lectures may remain a cornerstone of higher education, oration alone can seldom sustain students’ engagement, provide them necessary learning supports, and authentically deepen their understanding of material. In fact, even the most compelling lecturers often employ a range of strategies to cultivate active and supportive learning spaces.
Lecturing Interactively videos are organized into three submodules: Engaging Students, Scaffolding New Material, and Deepening Understanding. Supplemented by classroom footage and student testimonials, featured faculty share a wealth of strategies for delivering more stimulating instruction that reimagines and challenges the traditional, teacher-centric lecture.
Featured Faculty
Paola Arlotta
Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Course details:
"Got (New) Brain? The Evolution of Brain Regeneration"; Harvard College; 22 students
Relevant quote:
“I walk into class with a detailed plan. I know I need to hit four or five landmarks -- concepts that, by the time the class is over, students need to have learned. But how I get to these landmarks is determined by my interactions with students.”
Brett Flehinger
Lecturer on History
Course details:
American Populisms: From Thomas Jefferson to the Tea Party + Trump; Harvard College; 38 students
Relevant quote:
"We’re in this conundrum: We all know that 50 minutes of straight lecture turns everybody off, but lecture still has value. How do you reconcile those truths?"
Tina Grotzer
Principal Research Scientist in Education
Course details:
"Applying Cognitive Science Research: Principles to Learning and Teaching"; Harvard Graduate School of Education; 40 students
Relevant quote:
"Often I’m making instructional moves and then I'll tell students why I made the move. Sometimes I'll tell them why I didn't do something else because that's often just as informative."
Robert Kegan
William and Miriam Meehan Research Professor in Adult Learning and Professional Development
Course details:
"Adult Development"; Harvard Graduate School of Education; ~200 students
Relevant quote:
"There’s an old joke where the lecturer says, “Let's get the rules straight: I'm here to speak; you're here to listen. You're going to finish your job almost inevitably well before I finish mine.” Unfortunately, that's the likely effect if you don't alter the energy in some ways."
Dan Levy
Senior Lecturer in Public Policy
Course details:
"Advanced Quantitative Methods"; Harvard Kennedy School; 74 students
Relevant quote:
"Silence is one of the most underused weapons an instructor has at his or her disposal."
