ABSTRACT
No curriculum is really defined by the specific teaching techniques it uses. Effective teaching methods are aligned with theory, but embedded in the context of their use. The effectiveness of any specific method of instruction, like lecturing or working in small groups, depends on when and how it is used. Traditional lecturers think they can transmit what they know directly to the learner. Most lecturers have not done a lot of thinking about exactly how this might work, but I suspect a lot of professors using group work could not articulate the processes of meaning construction taking place in student problem-solving groups. The Achilles’ heel of the lecture method lies in the difficulty and talent required to connect with and motivate students who do not happen to have a pressing problem that the content of the lecture will help them solve. The problem of promoting the proper types of dialogue between students, especially between students from diverse cultural backgrounds, is the most important and difficult challenge facing professors who want to implement a teaching model derived from a constructivist perspective.
