▶ Your Answer : There has been considerable controversy over this issue. It is not easy to determine which one is better since both lecturing and discussion in the class have strengths and weaknesses. But, as for me, it is quite obvious that discussion is the best method in the class.
Admittedly, we cannot say lectures are always bad in educational sites. There are advantages that we can take in lecturing-style teaching. It is especially useful in the situation when students have mere knowledge about the subject that is being taught. However, except for this early stage of the classes, a discussion is mostly superior to the lecturing when it comes to an effective way of learning. I used the term ‘learning’ because education becomes meaningful when the students actually learn ‘something’. In this sense, we can consider education as a student-centered activity rather than teacher-centered activity.
If we accept this definition, we can easily notice that students need to participate in the classes vigorously. They need to speak out their opinions and listen to others’ saying and they also should not hesitate to raise their hand to ask the teacher when they meet something unable to understand. If students take part in classes like this, they will learn what they talked and listened because the ideas or theories remain long in the students’ memories when they are expressed outwardly.
Since I study education at the moment at the university, I have read many books about education. Most books are advocating the value of active participation of students during the class and I haven’t read the one saying positively on the classes which are only made up of lectures by professors. It means that even most scholars of education are inclined to taking the debating as a method in the class.
In conclusion, we cannot deny that there is a positive aspect of lecturing. However, most of the time, the discussion becomes a highly effective way to make students learn something. Therefore I prefer the class where there are plenty of discussions. |