I delivered several guest lectures on undergraduate and post-graduate courses at the University of Edinburgh. Lecture design is something I strive to gain more experience and improve my skills because most students consider lectures the core element of their studies. While lecturing as a teaching method has been widely criticized for its mostly passive learning setting and poor success in stimulating independent thought, I think that when lectures incorporate a range of practical tasks and present engaging material through a diverse medium (Brown 1982), they have the potential to inspire and encourage learners to deliberate on the influence of broader professional and global issues.
I particularly enjoyed guest lecturing on the Anthropology of the Body module. The classroom was a nice mix of undergraduate and master’s students from various degree programs – social anthropology, sociology, science and technology studies, dance science and education, and history of art – of which half were from other EU or non-EU countries. Recognising this diversity and the wider context of my topic (Body in Dance), I wanted this lecture to meet all pupils’ educational needs, nurture curiosity and lifelong learning, and encourage critical engagement with the racialisation and medicalisation of bodies in various contexts. Teaching social science, in general, is not simply about relaying knowledge or skills, but requires both teachers and students to get involved in the very making of knowledge by exploring value-laden issues (Martin 1999). Hence, a social science lecture must be designed and delivered in such a way that it encourages students to think for themselves and engage in constructive discussion with others, allowing them to negotiate the knowledge that derives from personal opinions, subjectivities, and individual experience. However, this is only possible in a learning environment where students feel safe, confident, and respected.
Stimulating a productive discussion is especially difficult for a guest lecturer, given the limited interaction with the cohort. It is even harder in a classroom of honours and master’s students from different ethnic and educational backgrounds, where anxieties about language proficiency or academic success can prevent participation and asking questions (Haigh 2002). Many undergraduate students told me that they feel uneasy to speak about something they are learning for the first time in front of postgraduates whom they consider more knowledgeable. To prevent this becoming an issue in my lectures, and to destabilise students’ assumptions about seniority, I always begin class with a few words about how the subject relates to the broader context of our lives and how we can all learn something new from each other. I also encourage more interaction between the students outside the classroom, in order to cultivate peer support for their learning.
Drawing on research and colleagues’ feedback, I found that careful lecture design that integrates explaining subject material, film/video screening, sharing personal experience/anecdotes, small group activity, plenary discussion, and Q&A not only foster active learning, but also draw more students to participate because they get more options to learn through listening, interaction, visual material, problem-solving, and so on, and find a comfortable way to contribute to the discussion. For example, I use “interactive windows” for discussion (Huxham 2005) after a teaching segment, and ask the students to reflect on the material covered so far, and whether the medium and mode of presentation were helpful for their learning. These reflection slots enabled interaction between the students and myself, helping me gain insight into the effectiveness of my lecture, while enhancing the students’ learning experience. By organising these as small “buzz group” activity (Van Dijk et al 2001), I offered everyone an opportunity to comment on the material and delivery method without the pressure of speaking in front of a large audience. From observations and student feedback, I learned that a group of three students makes the most sense because it is less demanding than working in pairs, while ensuring that everyone has the time to contribute, and still allowing students who resist/find such “activating” lectures unhelpful or intimidating to choose to participate less actively.
References
Brown, G.A. 1(982). ‘Two Days on Explaining and Lecturing.’ Studies in Higher Education, 7(2): 93-103.
Haigh, M.J. (2002). ‘Internationalisation of the Curriculum: Designing Inclusive Education for a Small World.’ Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 26(1): 49-66.
Huxham, M. (2005). ‘Learning in Lectures Do “Interactive Windows” Help?’ Active Learning in Higher Education, 6(1): 17-31.
Martin, P.W. (1999). ‘Key Aspects of Teaching and Learning in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.’ Pp. 301- 323 in H. Fry, S. Ketteridge and S. Marshall (eds.) A Handbook for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (2nd ed.). London: Kogan Page Limited.
Van Dijk, L.A., Van Den Berg, G.C. & H. Van Keulen (2001). ‘Interactive Lectures in Engineering Education.’ European Journal of Engineering Education 26: 15-28.
Inna Yaneva-Toraman 