ABSTRACT
Let’s face it: Many teachers prefer to be the center of attention and like to take charge. I am certainly no exception! The first several years of my career reflect this. While I incorporated many student-centered learning strategies, there was nothing more satisfying than a perfectly delivered speech with easy-to-understand outlined notes on the overhead projector. After a few years passed, these notes eventually transitioned into beautiful PowerPoint slides with carefully chosen graphics for enhancement. I loved to hear myself talk. My master’s thesis was even titled “The Effective Use of Lecture in the Classroom.” However, upon my own professional reflection, I can honestly say that many of my students weren’t nearly as enthused as I was with this methodology. In fact, if I truly want to be honest with myself, much of my attraction to the lecture method was based on the mere fact that I struggled to come up with any other ideas on how best to teach my students the content of my courses. Sure, I incorporated what I considered student-centered learning through simulations and activities, but lecture was the easiest way for me to expose my students to the content. When it came time for the end-of-the-unit test and my students didn’t necessarily perform as well as I wanted, I had to convince myself that it wasn’t my fault. I had told them all they needed to know. Who was I kidding?
