A student's perspective of engagement through innovative teaching techniques

Abstract

From first-hand experience students need to be able to be attentive during a lecture amidst a multitude of stresses and personal problems that can affect concentration and attention spans. If a lecture is enjoyable it is far easier to put aside these external issues (if only for a relatively short time) and immerse oneself into the excitement of the education. There is strong neurological evidence to support the fact that the use of innovative lecturing styles and having fun in teaching helps the cognitive process and the ability to retain and retrieve knowledge. A number of fun lectures at the University of Adelaide have been reviewed and analysed from a student’s perspective and their outcomes discussed .In conclusion it can be seen that while humour may sometimes produce unexpected sometimes negative reactions, or that it might also distract students from the lesson of the lecture, if used wisely it is an extremely powerful aid to learning.