ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE : MODERN METHODS 261
- A Heavy Teaching Load on Teachers
A teacher who is required continuously teach in the school from the first period up to
the last and not lecture in each period. He will not have the capacity to prepare so many
simple and interesting lectures each day. It is physically possible for him to speak continuously
for four or five hours a day. Hence, lecturing period should be very limited.
- Harmful Extensive Use
The lecture method tends to substitute the teacher for the textbook is used extensively.
Only occasional and informal talks may be desirable for realizing definite purposes in view.
- Monotonous and Dullness
Only exceptional teachers can stimulate interest through their talks at all grade levels.
To avoid dullness and to give effectiveness to the lesson they use a variety of methods and
not only one or two of them. The lessons may become dull and dry if only the lecture method
is used.
Effectiveness of Lecture Method
As lecturing is an art, its successful performance depends upon the teacher’s knowledge
and upon his awareness of interest and motivation. Primarily meant to reinforce key ideas
and facts and to place them in a context of thought a lecture seeks to present a whole out
of many related fragments of information obtained piecemeal by other means. People flock
by thousands to listen to interesting, fascinating, inspiring, informative and exciting lectures.
Similar type of talks should be presented in the classroom to ensure success. A teacher
should follow these points:
- Giving background of a topic.
- Giving as over-view of a large unit.
- Creating interest in the people.
- Explaining and correcting some faulty ideas or introducing an intelligent assignment.
Delimitation of Lecture Method
- Sometimes, the teacher can give a hint about some topic or unit to be developed
in some later lecture. Pupils, thus, can be led to anticipate a lecture with eagerness. - The teacher should prepare a synopsis of the lecture and give it to the pupils before
lecturing. Besides saving the teacher from pointless digression it will help the
pupils to pay undivided attention to the lecture. - While delivering the lecture teacher should speak clearly and slowly so that the
pupils may keep pace with him. He should talk to the students rather than lecture
to a class. Rise and fall in his voice is also necessary to lay emphasis on a point
and also to attract the pupils. Frequent but natural changes of positions help him
to feel at ease, and to ensure that every member of the class gets an equal opportunity
to see and hear. - Lecture should be full of humor enlivened by analogies, comparisons, illustrations
and anecdotes, which bear upon the topic. The lecture is made interesting by aids
such as pictures, films, filmstrips, slides, diagrams, etc.