Teaching, in its simplest sense, is imparting knowledge. It is the connotation of experience. This experience may consist of facts, truths, doctrines, ideas, or ideals, or it may consist of the processes or skills of an art. The teacher is the sender or the source, the educational material is the information or message, and the student is the receiver of the information.  The main objective of teaching is to make students understand the learning concepts and prepare them for the real world. Therefore, teachers have been incorporating different strategies to enhance the efficacy of the lecture methods. Around the world, teachers have been using a variety of methods to teach their students. Amongst these methods, the lecture method of teaching is the most popular and commonly used.  In addition to the lecture method, teachers are integrating other methods to effectively teach students and make students active participants in the learning process.

Criteria of Selection of Teaching Method:

1. It should increase the interest of the learners.
2. It should encourage the students to participate.
3. It should motivate the students to study and explore.
4. It should develop the creativity of the students.
5. The method should be according to the intelligence level of the students.
6. The method should link bookish knowledge with real-life situations.

Factors that Determine the Selection of Teaching Methods:

1. The ability of the teacher
2. The syllabus and curriculum
3. The size of the class
4. The intelligence level of students
5. Availability of teaching aids
6. Age of the learners
7. The time of the period

Lecture Method of Teaching:

Lecture method of teaching is one of the oldest methods used in classroom by teachers to impart knowledge to students. This method is also called Socrates Method. It was developed by the Greek philosopher, Socrates and derives its name from the conversational technique of ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, as presented in his student Plato’s dialogues written between 399 BCE and 347 BCE. A lecture (from   the   French   ‘lecture’,   meaning   ‘reading’)   is   an oral presentation intended   to   present   information   or   teaches   people   about   a particular subject. The person who does an oral presentation is called ‘Lecturer’.

Objectives of Lecture Method:

1. To create interest among students.
2. To create a good healthy atmosphere in the classroom.
3. To explain legal terms and maxims.
4. Immediate solutions for students in the classroom.

Concept:

Generally, this teaching method is one way channel of communication of information. Students’ involvement in this teaching method is just to listen and sometimes pen down notes if necessary during lecture, combine the information and organize it. The lecture method is very practicable, easy, and commonly used in universities and colleges. The lecture method is used to give theoretical knowledge and to create interest among students.

In some cases, this method involves a shared dialogue between lectures and students. The lecturer leads by posing thought – provoking questions. Students also actively engage by asking questions of their own, and the discussion goes back and forth.

Lecturers give a lot of time to explain what ever a student needs to understand and learn. Therefore, students ought to give in much attention while engaging this method. This method mainly targets a concerted effort to explore the underlying beliefs that shape the students’ views and opinions. For example, a professor might pick a student at random and question them (rapid-fire) for the entire duration of the class. The ultimate goal is to trip the student up and cause holes in their argument. At the other extreme, a professor could choose a group of students and discuss legal principles.

Skills Required:

• Communication Skills: This is the primary skill that a teacher requires in order to excel in the lecture method. In order to convey the ideas and concepts effectively to the students, teachers have to develop communication skills. Communication skills allow teachers to present the concepts in a comprehensible way to the students.
• Creative Skills: When the students are passively listening to the lectures there is a high chance for them to get distracted and lose interest in learning. Hence, the teacher should incorporate different creative strategies into the lecturing methodology to instill an interest in the lectures. Having a sense of humour would be an added benefit to teachers. This would make the classes more fun, engaging and enjoyable for students.
• Time Management Skills: Teachers should ideally plan ahead to determine which key aspects of a concept they will present in a single lecture. Moreover, they should also have an idea regarding the outcome they want to achieve by the end of the session. When they are dealing with a long lesson, teachers should break the lesson in such a way that it makes it easier for the students to grasp them.
• Class Management Skills: Teachers should have the ability to manage the students and the classroom in order to facilitate the lecturing process. If teachers are not able to manage the students in the class, they will not be able to transfer ideas to the students. Teachers have to master the tactics to capture the attention of the students in their classroom and make sure that they don’t get distracted. Indulging in conversation and other activities in the midst of a classroom can decrease the effectiveness of lectures.

To Make Lecture Attractive:

Following are the methods to improve the efficacy of the lecture method.

• Know Your Audience: By understanding who these people listening to you are, the lecturer can tailor content to their needs, provide specific types of service and support they’re seeking. There are several audience characteristics to consider when planning a lecture and written communication. These attributes can help lecturer decide the type of language and vocabulary he/she might use, which examples lecturer provide, the level of formality, and even whether the information is better conveyed in a spoken or written format. Recognize audience attention span
• Plan Lecture: Prepare a map to follow (lecture outline). It is essential for teachers to have a solid plan that facilitates the learning process for their students. Teachers should analyze their students and come up with a plan that suits their learning styles and learning requirements.
• Ensure Learner Engagement:  As long as students are merely passively engaged in the learning process, they tend to lose enthusiasm for learning. Hence, the lecture method can be made interactive by involving students as active participants. In order to make the lecture method more interesting, teachers can ask questions in between the lectures. Start the lecture with an introductory topic (grab attention of the audience). Have a conclusion, summary at the end of lecture.
• Incorporate Audio-Visual Aids: Audio-visual aids can aid in improving the quality of lectures. Visual aids like charts, videos, images, and graphs can enrich the imaginative power of students. Unnecessary graphics and animations should be avoided.
• Give Assignment: Give time bound assignments/ task for the audience/ students to prepare and come based on the lecture delivered.

Ways by which the Value of the Method can be Enhanced:

• Avoid reading from the lecture notes word by word.
• Maintain eye to eye contact with the students so that their attention can be maintained.
• Prepare a good lesson plan with introductory remarks, main headings, sub-headings, figures and important data and concluding remarks.
• Use simple language. The vocabulary and language used should be understood by the students.
• The main points should be repeated in alternative language either during or immediately after the class.
• Present the topic in an organized manner to facilitate note taking by the students.
• Make effective use of audio-visual aids to improve communication of ideas.
• Make appropriate use of illustration and examples.
• Ensure fair presentation of different views and theories.
• Provide short breaks during the lecture period for asking thought provoking, stimulating, and problem solving questions.
• Leave time at the end for clarifications and questions.
• Relate teaching to community situations and ward situations where students are placed for their learning experiences.

Merits of the Lecture Method of Teaching:

The advantages and the lecture method can be explained as follows:

• Control: The teacher controls the topic, aims, content, organization, sequence, and rate. Emphasis can be placed where the teacher desires.
• Direct Contact: The lecture can be used to motivate and increase interest, to clarify and explain, to expand and bring in information not available to the students, and to review. Students can interrupt for clarification or more detail. Lecture method channels the thinking of all students in a given direction.
• Flexibility: The teacher can change the content according to the changing circumstances. Other media and demonstrations can be easily combined with the lecture.
• Updating: The lecture can be easily revised and updated.
• Coverage: By using this method knowledge can be given to a large number of students at one place and at one time.
• Recording: The lecture can be taped, filmed, or printed for future use.
• Time Saving: Lecture Method covers syllabus in limited time so this method is a time saver.
• Economical: This method is economical as it does not need laboratory or technical aids.
• Development of skills: It develops the note making and writing skills of the students.
• Linkage: Using this method new knowledge can be easily linked with previous knowledge.
• Large amount of information can be presented: Large materials can be covered in a short time period. Generally one lecture is of 35 to 40 minutes. Within this time the teacher can present and explain a large amount of information to the students.
• Useful for higher classes: This method of teaching is useful only for the higher classes, as they have developed the senses and abilities to understand.
• Good for explanation: It is better for topics that need proper explanation and clarification.
• Security: Lecture method gives a teacher a sense of security by reliance upon the supposed authority of the dispenser of knowledge.

Demerits of Lecture Method of Teaching:

• Dull and boring: After 15 to 20 minutes students lost their attention and interest in the classroom. Some of the students may already know the content of the lecture while some may not be ready for the lecture. Those who now may not be interested those who are not ready may be restless. This may not give the possible effect to the teaching.
• Difficult to Keep Tempo: It is difficult to maintain student interest and attention for a full hour of lecture. The teacher may fail to keep the same tone, volume of voice and the contents of his/ her lecture must be interesting.
• One Way Communication: The communication is mostly one-way from the teacher to the students. Usually there is little student participation. The students who do participate are few in number and tend to be the same students each class
• Temporary learning: Information and knowledge acquired in this method are quickly forgotten. Most of the students are not habituated of taking notes. Students either want dictation or simply purchase tailor-made notes from market without understanding the gravity of the subject. Lecture information is forgotten quickly, during and after the lecture. As the student is neither attentive nor taking note they cannot revise what has been taught and happen to forget.
• No Immediate Cross Check: There is no immediate and direct check of whether learning has taken place.
• Encourage spoon feeding: The lecture method encourages student dependence on the teacher. This method encourages spoon feeding as it does not provide any room for self-study.
• Beneficial for good listeners: It is beneficial for the students who are good listeners.
• Unpsychological: Students in this method become passive listeners and not participate in the learning activities.
• Limited senses: In this method, only the sense of hearing and the sense of listening are used. The students listen and see content written on the blackboard and charts.
• Not suitable for complex topics: The lecture method is not good for complex subjects such as Mathematics and science.
• Ignore individual differences: Some of the classes have more than one hundred students. It is possible that the teacher may not be able to pay attention to an individual. Hence it will become an address to the gathering rather than teaching. In this method, the teacher teaches all the students in the same way, whether they are average, below average, or above average.
• Not suitable for all teachers: The lecture method is not a cup of tea for all teachers as it requires good communication skills, vocabulary, patience, pronunciation, etc.
• Not suitable for junior classes: It provides factual Information which may not be suitable for the junior classes.

Conclusion:

One of the traditional methods of teaching is lecture method. In the lecture method, the teacher lectures about the subject or the matter in depth or in the manner the teacher wanted to do so. In this method, the student must listen the lecture and make appropriate notes for better understanding. In a short period of time or specific period, the teacher delivers the lecture and the student will be having grip over the subject or the lecture only during that period or for limited period of time as the next teacher or next lecture session begins. Lectures are used for introduction of new subjects, summarising ideas, showing relationships between theory and practice, and reemphasising main points. This is a ‘teacher-centred’ approach where the teacher is an authoritative figure with the students as mere passive recipients of listening information. This is the most familiar and efficient method of teaching in which sensibly organised materials can be rapidly presented. This method is though awfully familiar, but it has its own demerits and disadvantages.