Chapter 8: Lectures and Laboratories: Their Discontents and Alternatives

This chapter considers the limitations of ‘traditional’ lectures and student laboratory work and discusses possible alternatives. One issue is under what circumstances teacher demonstrations may be more effective than student practical work, and another is how to best prepare learners to learn effectively when they are working in the laboratory – for example with ‘prelab’ activities. The traditional formal lecture is not usually an effective way of helping diverse classes of learners understand complex abstract ideas, so, even at the university level, an ideal teaching programme would limit lecturing to a modest number of keynote sessions. However, in many institutional contexts, pragmatic and logistical considerations mean that lecture courses are the core means of curriculum ‘delivery’. The challenges of effective lecturing are considered, as well as both ways to make lectures more interactive or even to ‘flip’ them. This chapter also considers approaches such as blended learning and the use of learning management systems to support teaching.