Challenging the Lecture Format in Traditional Teacher Education: Using Pictorials for Collaborative/Experiential Learning

Abstract

Many professors deliver their course material by using the traditional lecture format as the students take notes. Research shows that learning is more apt to take place by self-discovery, as well as experiential methods of teaching, and it is not unusual to witness these methods carried out in the elementary schools. It is more uncommon, however, to see a university professor using these same methods. This article describes one TESOL professor's method of collaborative learning as she introduces pre-service teachers to a world of discovery-learning as they explore methodologies and approaches to language teaching through group-work, and are assigned to depict their understanding of the material in pictorials. Students are disoriented at first, and many are uncomfortable without the established parameters of "chalk and talk". The task proves to be an interesting experiment as the learners challenge traditional methods of learning, and broaden their understanding of classroom learning and teaching styles.