Are Lecture Me Molly Worthen Analysis
Jacob Munsee
Instructor: Matt Usner
Writing 121
14April 2016
Are Lectures worth it? Whether attending college or participating at a seminar one will inevitably run into lectures. Whether you consider lectures boring or not a question that may have come to mind is if the time listening to that lecture is worth the time spent. Perhaps on that same note, you have thought that there are better ways of receiving instruction on the same topics. Have lectures become obsolete, or is there still value in this age-old form of teaching. Molly Worthen, a professor at the University of North Carolina, expresses her despair over a trend that is leading to the utter elimination of lecturing stating that, "those who want to abolish the lecture course do not understand what a lecture is."(qtd. in "Lecture Me. Really.").Worthen, in her article "Lecture Me. Really.", places the value of lecturing not in the act of repeating a wrote script regurgitation of knowledge, but as a tool to present arguments and elicit listening and comprehension from the receivers. Worthen argues that these values are not being considered with the current push towards what she categorizes as a, "active learning craze"(Lecture Me. Really.). Is Molly Worthen correct in thinking …show more content…
Asking inspired questions involves elements of the first two topics. Questions of this nature will be impromptu. That is not to say that they are unplanned, but that they are tailored to the specific circumstances and used at appropriate times. A good inspired question will help a teacher understand the listener's comprehension, concerns, and questions. If done poorly the teacher will leave the listeners lost, and confused, effectively derailing the impact of the intended message. A good inspired question is simple, thought provoking, and helps make the message applicable. By doing this the purpose of the message is clear to both the presenter and the
Instructor: Matt Usner
Writing 121
14April 2016
Are Lectures worth it? Whether attending college or participating at a seminar one will inevitably run into lectures. Whether you consider lectures boring or not a question that may have come to mind is if the time listening to that lecture is worth the time spent. Perhaps on that same note, you have thought that there are better ways of receiving instruction on the same topics. Have lectures become obsolete, or is there still value in this age-old form of teaching. Molly Worthen, a professor at the University of North Carolina, expresses her despair over a trend that is leading to the utter elimination of lecturing stating that, "those who want to abolish the lecture course do not understand what a lecture is."(qtd. in "Lecture Me. Really.").Worthen, in her article "Lecture Me. Really.", places the value of lecturing not in the act of repeating a wrote script regurgitation of knowledge, but as a tool to present arguments and elicit listening and comprehension from the receivers. Worthen argues that these values are not being considered with the current push towards what she categorizes as a, "active learning craze"(Lecture Me. Really.). Is Molly Worthen correct in thinking …show more content…
Asking inspired questions involves elements of the first two topics. Questions of this nature will be impromptu. That is not to say that they are unplanned, but that they are tailored to the specific circumstances and used at appropriate times. A good inspired question will help a teacher understand the listener's comprehension, concerns, and questions. If done poorly the teacher will leave the listeners lost, and confused, effectively derailing the impact of the intended message. A good inspired question is simple, thought provoking, and helps make the message applicable. By doing this the purpose of the message is clear to both the presenter and the