ABSTRACT
We have all experienced lectures at which the teacher was a gifted speaker and the students were enthralled by the stories, anecdotes, and details being delivered. Most of us have watched a teacher use pictures, artifacts, video, and/or other visual aids to highlight key points and help us understand the topic. Most of us have also been a student in a class where a guest speaker comes and tells about rsthand or real-life experiences. However, just as likely, we have all had teachers who talk and talk without much regard for their students. Lectures from those teachers and guest speakers become something to endure because they contain an excessive amount of facts, do not engage students’ minds or require much thinking, or are simply boring. We suggest that lecturing to students is overused because it is easy for the teacher to control the students and the content being presented. However, lecturing, be it from the teacher or a guest speaker, has the potential to be a powerful strategy that you need to consider using as part of your repertoire of instructional strategies.
