“Don't Lecture Me”

Often I will listen to public radio on long drives when I am alone. Recently I happened to catch a program called “Don't Lecture Me” and it really caught my attention for several reasons. First, the speakers were all notable leaders in Physics Education Research such as Joe Redish, David Hestenes, and Eric Mazur. (See this month's WebSights column.) These folks are among many who have devoted their energies to understanding how students learn physics and how teachers can design classroom instruction and interactions to best meet the needs of learners. Second, on this particular trip, I had just observed a teacher whose class was very teacher-centered as the teacher lectured most of the class period. As we discussed this later, she expressed concern that she had to cover the material and didn't feel that she could do it without lecturing.