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It's crazy that the prevalent teaching method is sitting for long periods while listening to someone else's, constant-pitch voice. That's literally the best way

It's crazy that the prevalent teaching method is sitting for long periods while listening to someone else's, constant-pitch voice. That's literally the best way to fall asleep, as shown in sleep meditation videos and the like. I was a terrible student, could not keep my eyes open in any class, lost interest, never made it to colleague. Then a few years later I did self-paced distant learning and got my degree in no time while working.

bluGill 3y ago
Some people make that monotone work. I have avidly listened to one smooth monotone speaker talk for 45 minutes, while falling asleep in minutes for a different speaker at the same time of day (different day) who seamingly was much more energetic. I have no idea what the difference was, but i've observed it.
bee_rider 3y ago
I’m sure most instructors would, if they had a choice, cut lectures and just have discussion sections/labs. But this would require that everybody read the book and come to the discussion sections ready to engage. Lectures seem more like a failure-mode that has somehow become the standard. Assume the students won’t read, and have a human take the book’s job. Humans are… not great books. It is weird that video-lectures+in person discussion sections didn’t become the standard by, like, 2010 or so.
- randomdata 3y ago
  The lecture style appears to come from a time before the printing press when access to information was poor, enabling students to be essentially human photocopiers to copy the material to bring back to the home for the rest of the family to learn from. Seems we still do it because we have a love of tradition.
  - Nullabillity 3y ago
    YMMV, which is kind of the entire point here. Personally I found lectures to be a great way to learn, given the right teacher. A big key for me was to stop taking notes so that I could actually focus on what was being said instead. Another was, for lack of a better word… humanity. Video lectures just don't capture me the same way at all.
    - 7thaccount 3y ago
      This wouldn't work well in my engineering classes unfortunately. Sure you might follow along better, but then you'd have no example problems to study and would be screwed when it came time to study for the test.
    - pbhjpbhj 3y ago
      I always had to take notes, still do, if I want to be able to focus on the speaker. Something about how I process speech. I'm very skeptical about the "there are no learning styles" results.
      - randomdata 3y ago
        The idea is that it is unlikely that individuals can be neatly categorized into one specific learning style among of set of learning styles. What allows one to learn best is highly contextual and ever changing.
- syndicatedjelly 3y ago
  When I started college in 2009, most large classes were videotaped and posted online within a day or two. Still had to show up for discussion and small lectures but at least those usually involved more student engagement
  - bee_rider 3y ago
    Yeah, especially since COVID that seems to be popular. But, it doesn’t really lessen the workload on the instructor. IMO it would be better to just take the “best hits” video lectures from the last couple years, give those to the students, don’t do lectures at all, and then focus 100% on discussion sections (which really benefit more from the personal touch). But, for some social reason or something, this wouldn’t fulfill student expectations.
- muchwhales 3y ago
  Wasn't there a math prof that did exactly that? Can't find the link now, but after some getting used to the results were overwhelmingly positive. TBH, just staying at home and watching YouTube videos (on the same topics) is likely better than sitting in the average lecture, even if students don't want to read at all...
  - hollandheese 3y ago
    >TBH, just staying at home and watching YouTube videos (on the same topics) is likely better than sitting in the average lecture, even if students don't want to read at all... Good luck getting the students to watch the videos.
zeroonetwothree 3y ago
Good lecturers are far better than books. Then engage with the class, ask questions, adapt the content to what the students want to know or have trouble with, etc
Detrytus 3y ago
I think lectures as a form of teaching were invented in the middle ages, before the printing press was available. The whole university might have owned only one copy of each book, so learning by reading it wasn't an option for most students. So the professor, who had read the book before, would lecture them on its contents.
BeetleB 3y ago
Most professors I knew would much prefer people read, and the class be used for summary, discussion and problem solving. The problem is they could never get the students to read prior to the lecture.

bluGill 3y ago

Some people make that monotone work. I have avidly listened to one smooth monotone speaker talk for 45 minutes, while falling asleep in minutes for a different speaker at the same time of day (different day) who seamingly was much more energetic. I have no idea what the difference was, but i've observed it.

bee_rider 3y ago

I’m sure most instructors would, if they had a choice, cut lectures and just have discussion sections/labs. But this would require that everybody read the book and come to the discussion sections ready to engage. Lectures seem more like a failure-mode that has somehow become the standard. Assume the students won’t read, and have a human take the book’s job. Humans are… not great books. It is weird that video-lectures+in person discussion sections didn’t become the standard by, like, 2010 or so.

randomdata 3y ago
The lecture style appears to come from a time before the printing press when access to information was poor, enabling students to be essentially human photocopiers to copy the material to bring back to the home for the rest of the family to learn from. Seems we still do it because we have a love of tradition.
- Nullabillity 3y ago
  YMMV, which is kind of the entire point here. Personally I found lectures to be a great way to learn, given the right teacher. A big key for me was to stop taking notes so that I could actually focus on what was being said instead. Another was, for lack of a better word… humanity. Video lectures just don't capture me the same way at all.
  - 7thaccount 3y ago
    This wouldn't work well in my engineering classes unfortunately. Sure you might follow along better, but then you'd have no example problems to study and would be screwed when it came time to study for the test.
  - pbhjpbhj 3y ago
    I always had to take notes, still do, if I want to be able to focus on the speaker. Something about how I process speech. I'm very skeptical about the "there are no learning styles" results.
    - randomdata 3y ago
      The idea is that it is unlikely that individuals can be neatly categorized into one specific learning style among of set of learning styles. What allows one to learn best is highly contextual and ever changing.
syndicatedjelly 3y ago
When I started college in 2009, most large classes were videotaped and posted online within a day or two. Still had to show up for discussion and small lectures but at least those usually involved more student engagement
- bee_rider 3y ago
  Yeah, especially since COVID that seems to be popular. But, it doesn’t really lessen the workload on the instructor. IMO it would be better to just take the “best hits” video lectures from the last couple years, give those to the students, don’t do lectures at all, and then focus 100% on discussion sections (which really benefit more from the personal touch). But, for some social reason or something, this wouldn’t fulfill student expectations.
muchwhales 3y ago
Wasn't there a math prof that did exactly that? Can't find the link now, but after some getting used to the results were overwhelmingly positive. TBH, just staying at home and watching YouTube videos (on the same topics) is likely better than sitting in the average lecture, even if students don't want to read at all...
- hollandheese 3y ago
  >TBH, just staying at home and watching YouTube videos (on the same topics) is likely better than sitting in the average lecture, even if students don't want to read at all... Good luck getting the students to watch the videos.

zeroonetwothree 3y ago

Good lecturers are far better than books. Then engage with the class, ask questions, adapt the content to what the students want to know or have trouble with, etc

Detrytus 3y ago

I think lectures as a form of teaching were invented in the middle ages, before the printing press was available. The whole university might have owned only one copy of each book, so learning by reading it wasn't an option for most students. So the professor, who had read the book before, would lecture them on its contents.

BeetleB 3y ago

Most professors I knew would much prefer people read, and the class be used for summary, discussion and problem solving. The problem is they could never get the students to read prior to the lecture.