Lecturing can be engaging too

In the April 20 Inside Higher Ed, Rob Weir says:

In the age of computer-based learning, lecturing gets treated like Model-T Ford. Don’t be deceived; lecturing remains a staple of the academy and it’s likely to remain so for quite some time.

It doesn’t matter how technologically adroit one is or how many non-instructor-directed whistles and bells get crammed into a course, at some point every professor lectures, even if it’s just giving instructions or recapping a completed exercise.

...lecturing is so integral to successful college teaching that it’s a form of masochism and sadism to not become good at it.

The most common reason for bad lecturing isn’t phobia; it’s that professors don’t value the craft enough to hone their skills. Use such individuals as negative role models. Think of the most boring lecturer you’ve ever encountered. Do the opposite!

Bad lecturers violate nearly every rule of good communication.

And now, for the rest of the story...