# Teaching > General Teaching >  What's Your Favorite Way to Learn?

## The Comedian

What's your favorite way to learn literature in the classroom?

EDIT: you can pick more than one favorite.  :Wink:

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## YesNo

I was going to pick "watch the movie and call it good", but I've taken my share of multiple-choice tests to know that was the wrong answer.

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## The Comedian

> I was going to pick "watch the movie and call it good", but I've taken my share of multiple-choice tests to know that was the wrong answer.


You are wise indeed Yes/No.  :FRlol:

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## weltanschauung

studying is the only way.

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## Mutatis-Mutandis

I picked discussions. It is my favorite way to learn, and I implore it in my classroom whenever teaching literature. I believe it is by far the best way to learn about literature for most people.

I think it'd be interesting to make a list of what you like from least to worst OR what you like from least to most:

1. Discussion
2. Inspired lecture (key word being "inspired", of course)
3. Small groups
4. Arts & crafts
5. Movie

3 and 4 are awfully close, but I think small groups beats it in terms of effectiveness by just a bit (if you can your groups actually working on what the should, that is). I always like combining arts and crafts with small groups.

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## qimissung

I loved my literature classes in college and believe it or not I loved listening to my professors. I would love to do a related arts and crafts project. I did enjoy discussions in class, but I think they work best when they evolve out of something like a lecture or an activity.

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## Lokasenna

Discussion, with a good lecture a little ways behind.

That said, so much learning is just going somewhere quiet and reading up on a subject. Which is also great fun, in a slightly hermit-like sense.

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## The Comedian

> That said, so much learning is just going somewhere quiet and reading up on a subject. Which is also great fun, in a slightly hermit-like sense.


No doubt. And I agree that much of the love/learning in literature occurs in private moments. But I was interested in the classroom experience in particular. I so often feel/hear the push to to "show movies" and to "do posters" or to "have the learners participate in an associated craft". But I was never sure if that is what students actually preferred or not.

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## Cunninglinguist

Though not exactly an option, my favorite way of learning is probably by teaching. Discussion comprises teaching, though. What about brainwashing? That's always fun.

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## The Comedian

> Though not exactly an option, my favorite way of learning is probably by teaching. Discussion comprises teaching, though. What about brainwashing? That's always fun.


Brainwashing! That's what we learn in our education classes you know. 

I once took a course title "How To Horns-waggle the Public" and another one: "How Giving Your Students Bad Grades Can Boost Your Self-Esteem", then there's the ever popular "How to Spend Those Millions You Made From Your Teaching Career". 

Now, cunning. . .pay careful attention to this watch as I pass it. . .back and forth. . .in front of your. . .back and forth. . .face. . . . . Now listen as I command. . . :Reddevil:

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## qimissung

I don't know how well the art combination works in classes yet. We do a fair amount of writing, mostly essays, which are kind of dry, imo. But I did have them do one assignment where they did an art project that represented an aspect of a famous twentieth century person's work or character. I got some good things from that.

I'm also doing a little club. We watch a movie (yes, a movie) from a country. We watched "Forbidden Games" for France; at the next meeting we looked at some of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings, then painted a night sky in watercolor. We watched "The Seven Samurai" ext (that took three weeks), and then did a Japanese brush painting of a plum branch and blossoms. We're going to an Asian Art museum next week. I want to do some literature. Just a little. Some poetry from Japan, not haiku, and I want to read "Be Drunk" to them and have them write a poem that celebrates life themselves. We want to end the year with a movie from Latin America, I think "Black Orpheus" was suggested, and then I want to show them some work by Frieda Kahlo and have them paint a self-portrait. It's kind of labor intensive, but it goes beyond the ubiquitous poster anyway. We can only do it this way because it's after school, but the kids have enjoyed it. We've all had a good time, and I think it was a very rich program. I'm happy with it, anyway.

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## Paulclem

I picked the first four, but it depends upon how they're done. A combination would be good, with enough time on each aspect. 

I always found discussion really illuminating when I was studying. In school and at University, the method was very much lecture and discussion. 

I think there's a lot of mileage in small group work where the thoughts of the group can be presented back to the class. Also there's so much you can do with computers that it's not difficult to work with material and produce a short movie on some aspect of a work. So long as the tech doesn't become the focus rather than the work being studied.

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## Cunninglinguist

> Brainwashing! That's what we learn in our education classes you know. 
> 
> I once took a course title "How To Horns-waggle the Public" and another one: "How Giving Your Students Bad Grades Can Boost Your Self-Esteem", then there's the ever popular "How to Spend Those Millions You Made From Your Teaching Career". 
> 
> Now, cunning. . .pay careful attention to this watch as I pass it. . .back and forth. . .in front of your. . .back and forth. . .face. . . . . Now listen as I command. . .


Rofl  :Rofl:

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## JuniperWoolf

I still have a vivid memory of my complete hatred of group projects, movies and arts and crafts. I _do not_ respect that method of teaching. Yeah, let's color Russia red and America green, that's a GREAT way to learn. What a waste of time. Watching movies was terrible. The whole idea of films in class just seems really lazy. Let's just put something in a VCR and pretend to pay attention while the teacher reads a romance novel, I sure am learning about the boxer rebellion. There's NOTHING stimulating about these methods to me (not like a good lecture or classroom discussion), it always feels like our teacher is either being forced into it or doesn't care. I can watch movies, color, and look at bored teenagers at home thanks. 

In my high school, I was well known for my astounding ability to get out of classrooms (I'd crawl, take advantage of distractions, just quickly stand up and walk out when the teacher wasn't looking, whatever). If we were watching a movie, participating in boring segregated groups and doing jack-all or doing some mind-numbing coloring or poster project (are we five years old? Are you going to dock points if I color outside the lines?), I'd find some way to get out of the room and skip that class. My revulsion for stupid little coloring projects knows no bounds, it's so condescending. 

My university is strictly lectures and labs, it's fantastic.

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## IceM

Give me a book and some spare time and room to think and I'll give you brilliance.

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## MarkBastable

Edit: Read the first post before you answer the question, Mark.

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## Paulclem

> I still have a vivid memory of my complete hatred of group projects, movies and arts and crafts. I _do not_ respect that method of teaching. Yeah, let's color Russia red and America green, that's a GREAT way to learn. What a waste of time. Watching movies was terrible. The whole idea of films in class just seems really lazy. Let's just put something in a VCR and pretend to pay attention while the teacher reads a romance novel, I sure am learning about the boxer rebellion. There's NOTHING stimulating about these methods to me (not like a good lecture or classroom discussion), it always feels like our teacher is either being forced into it or doesn't care. I can watch movies, color, and look at bored teenagers at home thanks. 
> 
> In my high school, I was well known for my astounding ability to get out of classrooms (I'd crawl, take advantage of distractions, just quickly stand up and walk out when the teacher wasn't looking, whatever). If we were watching a movie, participating in boring segregated groups and doing jack-all or doing some mind-numbing coloring or poster project (are we five years old? Are you going to dock points if I color outside the lines?), I'd find some way to get out of the room and skip that class. My revulsion for stupid little coloring projects knows no bounds, it's so condescending. 
> 
> My university is strictly lectures and labs, it's fantastic.


Lectures are only one way to learn, and are probably highly suitable for educated and able people. It's not everyone's favourite method though. Some younger people, and those who are late to further education and who have little experience of how to learn, may well benefit from discussion and doing something like constructing a point of view with some kind of media. 

I agree with you about colouring and daft stuff like that though. A group task has got to contribute something in itself to the learning.

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## Cunninglinguist

> Lectures are only one way to learn, and are probably highly suitable for educated and able people. It's not everyone's favourite method though. Some younger people, and those who are late to further education and who have little experience of how to learn, may well benefit from discussion and doing something like constructing a point of view with some kind of media. 
> 
> I agree with you about colouring and daft stuff like that though. A group task has got to contribute something in itself to the learning.


This might shed some light on the issue:

http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/0...rning-pyramid/

Perhaps as you get older the avg. retention rates for people at lectures goes up, but nonetheless I imagine teaching others would generally be the best. For some it is the case that listening to lectures is the best, but this is far from normal.

It seems strange to me that we still follow a lecture format in our education system so rigorously. Seems like a massive waste of time.

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## Paulclem

> This might shed some light on the issue:
> 
> http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/0...rning-pyramid/
> 
> Perhaps as you get older the avg. retention rates for people at lectures goes up, but nonetheless I imagine teaching others would generally be the best. For some it is the case that listening to lectures is the best, but this is far from normal.
> 
> It seems strange to me that we still follow a lecture format in our education system so rigorously. Seems like a massive waste of time.


I blame the academics. They should actually be the ones moving teaching methods on. My wife attended Uni a couple of years ago. Some of the lecturers were IT savvy, and could utilise blogs etc. But too many of them did lectures, some very poorly, such as the Head of History who read his notes to the class in the full expectation that they would just copy trhem down. Another was very disorganised with a confusing style. A couple were brilliant at delivering interesting lectures. 

Part of my job is to observe and grade teaching in house in order to monitor standards. It seemds as though not enough monitoring goes on. The two bad examples certainly can't be doing anything like effective teaching.

Thanks for the link. We used to test our learners for their learning style, but it seems to have fallen out of vogue at the moment.

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## Cunninglinguist

> I blame the academics. They should actually be the ones moving teaching methods on. My wife attended Uni a couple of years ago. Some of the lecturers were IT savvy, and could utilise blogs etc. But too many of them did lectures, some very poorly, such as the Head of History who read his notes to the class in the full expectation that they would just copy trhem down. Another was very disorganised with a confusing style. A couple were brilliant at delivering interesting lectures. 
> 
> Part of my job is to observe and grade teaching in house in order to monitor standards. It seemds as though not enough monitoring goes on. The two bad examples certainly can't be doing anything like effective teaching.
> 
> Thanks for the link. We used to test our learners for their learning style, but it seems to have fallen out of vogue at the moment.


And tenure! When in doubt, blame tenure.

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## ralfyman

For university, discussions.

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## pondman

> I still have a vivid memory of my complete hatred of group projects, movies and arts and crafts.


You would dread my class-- because I make students stand and explain an idea. 

I've been known for rolling a dumpster into a classroom...and giving the students a few minute to create a way of measuring how much water the dumpster would hold. I do it with 15 year old students who may or may not have had adequate math. I usually include a one gallon milk carton and a five gallon bucket. When then move over to a pond, and try to create a method for measuring the amount of water in the pond.

You'd be suprise at the level of thinking and creativity which goes on when a teacher does something besides passing out a textbook and going to sleep at their desk.

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## Writer10

Well my favorite way to learn is taking notes from lots of books and material from the internet.I remember i barely took classes because all the materials they taught was from book so i resorted to internet and some book materials.

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## stevanjessica

I like to do study and try to understand the topic with Participating in small groups activities and discussions..

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## synodbio

My favorite learning way is in participating in small group of activities.

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## synodbio

Participating in small group activities and creating an associated crafts and projects.

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## hannah_arendt

Taking notes, self-learning

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## RobbyA

Inspired lectures are usually a good way to get my interest in a subject, but discussion helps to sort ideas out in my head and understand them better  :Smile:

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## temper

A lecture is a reliable way of giving students the necessary background for a given topic, but only their participation in a discussion makes the classroom alive.

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