Comparing and Contrasting Lecture and Demonstrator Teaching Styles

Different teachers have unique ways or styles of instructing learners to ensure that the comprehend content. Most often, many instructors prefer lecture method which involves directing learning. Lecturing teaching style is teacher-centered whereby the instructor presents content to learners through reciting notes and explaining the content to learners who are listening to absorb information or maybe taking notes. Some instructors prefer demonstrative teaching style where the teacher employs his or her authoritative role to show students what they need to learn or skills they should develop. The presentation style is characterized by several demonstrations of concepts and skills. For example, in a chemistry lesson, the teacher shows the students how to perform an experiment after which they do it by themselves. Although the lecture and demonstrator teaching styles may be similar in the fact that in both styles the teacher assumes an authoritative role, they differ in many ways including learner involvement, content coverage, and impact on retention of knowledge and learner motivation.

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In both lecture and demonstrator teaching styles, the instructor plays an authoritative role in directing learning. In lecture method, the teacher selects the topic, prepares the presentation and reads out the notes to the learners who listen or take notes. Also, the teacher maintains learner discipline within the classroom and ensures that each student participates in the learning. Similarly, in demonstrator teaching style, the teacher acts as the authoritative power in the classroom. He or she directs what the learners should do. The teacher demonstrates what is to be learned and guides the learners through practicing it. He or she is responsible for learner discipline and ensuring that they have complied with the required learning standards.

However, while the lecture teaching style is teacher-centered (low-learner involvement), the demonstrator method is a learner-centered (high-learner involvement). In lecture method, much of the learning process is derived from the teacher. The teacher assumes an active role in directing learning by preparing teaching notes, making presentations and explaining the concepts as well as giving out examples to the learners. On the other hand, the demonstrator teaching style focuses on the learner as the center of learning. The learner is expected to actively participate or be involved in learning by taking part in the learning process. For example, the learner is expected to perform various activities as demonstrated by the teacher. In a mathematics class, the teacher demonstrates how a math problem is solved and immediately the learner is expected to follow the same procedures to solve other mathematical problems. In a biology laboratory, the teacher guides the learners how to dissect an insect, for instance. This way, the learning process is based on the learner because he or she is the one performing the learning activity. Thus, demonstrator contrasts the demonstrator teaching style by focusing on the student while the latter focuses on the teacher to guide towards the achievement of the learning goals.

Moreover, the lecture teaching style differs from the demonstrator teaching method regarding content coverage. In lecturing style, learning is teacher-centered meaning that he or she takes charge of the learning activities such as notes making and presentation. In this way, the teacher can deliver a lot of content within a short time because there are little interjections from the learner who is passive and is expected to be taking notes or absorbing the information. On the contrary, the demonstrator method involves showing the learners how to perform a skill and allowing them to perform. This takes a lot of time, and the lesson ends when a small piece of content has been covered. Thus, the lecture style supersedes demonstrator method in content coverage.

Furthermore, the lecture and demonstrator teaching styles vary in their impact on learner's ability to retain content and also to stimulate motivation. People can remember up to 80% of what they got involved in doing but can only recall up to 30% of what they heard ( Tisha and Taylor 675). People learn more when they do it than when they simply hear. Demonstrator method gets the students to learn by doing hence stand a higher chance of retaining the content whereas lecture method makes students learn by hearing making them retain less content. Likewise, demonstrator method has a higher effect on stimulating learner motivation whereas lecture has the least impact. Demonstrator method entails performing activities related to learning which excites the student to engage in the learning process thus improving motivation (Reeve et al. 209). In lecture method, however, the learner is passive, and there is no impact on motivation to learn.

Therefore, it can be concluded that some lessons are engaging whereas others are boring depending on the teaching style adopted by the instructor. Where a teacher adopts the lecture method, he or she authoritatively directs learning rendering the student passive and the motivations to learn as well as retention levels are low. On the other hand, when a teacher adopts demonstrator learning style, the student becomes active in the learning process and is highly motivated as he or she learns by doing hence achieving higher retention rates.

Works Cited

Emerson, Tisha LN, and Beck A. Taylor. "Comparing student achievement across experimental and lecture-oriented sections of a principles of microeconomics course." Southern Economic Journal (2004): 672-693.

Reeve, Johnmarshall, and Hyungshim Jang. "What teachers say and do to support students' autonomy during a learning activity." Journal of educational psychology 98.1 (2006): 209.