Spanish 
Chinese 
Russian 
German 
French 
Japanese 
Portuguese 
Hindi Review Article
Theories and Practical Steps for Delivering Effective Lectures
Sumit Sandhu1, Tracie O. Afifi2 and Francis M. Amara1*
1Department of Biochemistry & Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Canada
2Department of Community Health Sciences, Psychiatry and Family Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Canada
- *Corresponding Author:
- Francis M. Amara
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry & Medical Genetics
Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba
745 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3 , Canada
Tel: 204-7893580
Fax: 204- 7893900
E-mail: amara@cc.umanitoba.ca
Received date: May 18, 2012; Accepted date: June 25, 2012; Published date: June 27, 2012
Citation: Sandhu S, Afifi TO, Amara FM (2012) Theories and Practical Steps for Delivering Effective Lectures. J Community Med Health Educ 2:158 doi: 10.4172/2161-0711.1000158
Copyright: © 2012 Sandhu S, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Several approaches to teaching, such as problem-based learning, team-based learning and case method teachings are increasingly being adopted. However, the lecture format is still the most widely used approach to teaching, especially for a large class size. Nevertheless, traditional lectures or didactic lectures are considered ineffective in affecting learning outcomes of knowledge retention, student satisfaction, synthesis and elaboration of knowledge. Consequently, new strategies to transform didactic lectures into effective lectures, and to facilitate deeper learning are emerging due to recent advances in our understanding of the cognitive sciences on learning and memory. These advances can be applied to teaching to diverse learners and across different settings in the health professions education. They can also be used as a guide to faculty development, organization of lectures and curriculum development. In this article, we reviewed selected principles of learning and memory to determine those that are most critical to improving didactic lectures, guiding instructors to effective teaching, and deeper student learning. Our analyses of these principles have produced key practical steps that are essential to enhancing lectures, making them interactive and effective. Further, these steps can be adopted across different learning environments of health education.
