ABSTRACT
Many college teachers are ready to examine alternatives to the traditional lecture paradigm, but the dazzling array of options they encounter is often bewildering. College teachers, like tourists on resort beaches all over the world, seem to attract vendors, not just vendors of actual products, though these are plentiful, but vendors of ideas. Learner-centered teaching refers to a shift in the role of the teacher. Inquiry-based learning refers to instruction where students are actively questioning the materials, ideas, and content to be learned. Learning style theories create an awareness of students’ preferences, strengths, and weaknesses and provide an easy-to-use language for discussing learning differences observed in students. However, this area of study has suffered from a lack of an agreed-upon theoretical base and variations in research quality. A branch of this research has turned into a profitable industry based on overreaching claims.
