Page 123 - Homiletics I Student Textbook

The word lecture comes from the Latin word lectus, from the 14th century, which translates roughly
into “to read.” The term lecture, then, in Latin, means “that which is read.” It wasn’t until the 16th
century that the word was used to describe oral instruction given by a teacher in front of an audience
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of learners.

Today, lecturing is a teaching method that involves, primarily, an oral presentation given by an
instructor to a body of students. Many lectures are accompanied by some sort of visual aid, such as a
slideshow, a word document, an image, or a film. As long as there is an authoritative figure at the
front of a room, delivering a speech to a crowd of listeners, this is a lecture. So in a sense, every
Sunday, the pastor lectures the congregation.

What are the advantages of using the Lecture Method?
1. Large amounts of information can be delivered to the congregation in the shortest
amount of time.

2. It is the most economical and efficient method for delivering substantial amounts of
information to LARGE groups of students. It gives the instructor direct contact with the
largest group of students. Congregants are able to absorb large quantities of new material
rapidly.

3. It affords a necessary framework or overview for subsequent learning, for example, reading
assignments, small group activities, discussion.

4, The preacher (authoritative figure) is in full control of the direction of the lesson and tone of the
congregation.

5. The lecture method makes the learning process mostly effortless on the part of the students, who
need only to pay attention during the lecture and perhaps jot down things that are important or
emphasized. It therefore, is the most clear, straightforward, and uncomplicated way to expose students
to large quantities of information in a way that is controlled and time sensitive.

What are the disadvantages of using the Lecture Method?
1. The lecture method is a one-way delivery method or presenting information. It affords students very
little or no opportunity for personal input or ask questions if not understandable.

2. The teacher is active and the students are passive. In other words, the students are not DOING
anything other than listening. Remember we learned that the students will remember approximately
90% of what they DO? Do you also remember how much they remember by just hearing you talk?
That’s correct, about 10 – 11%. So the lecture method is the LEAST likely delivery method to ensure that
the students will apply or even remember what you are talking about.

3. The lecture method is the least interesting form of presenting information to the learner. It tends to
become boring. The students have little if any opportunity to learn how the subject applies to them on
a personal level.

95 https://blog.udemy.com/lecture-method/
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