Over the years, I have developed my approach to teaching as a response to the academic literature on education. Active learning (Bonwell and Eison 1991) has frequently been used in marketing education, and it has been shown to increase student engagement and learning (e.g., Hickman, Pearson, and Mundell 2011; Hawes 2004). A common finding in the literature (e.g., Renkl et al. 2002) is that student learning is most improved if a principle is first taught in a traditional lecture format and then supported with an active learning exercise. Indeed, many of the common active learning exercises (e.g., think-pair-share) are fundamentally based on the notion of bolstering the learning points already covered a lecture. In essence, the findings in the literature suggest the best approach is to be consistent: teach the topic (with a lecture) and then give students practice on the topic (with active learning, problem sets, and so on).
Although I strongly support active learning exercises, I disagree with the suggestion that the order should be “learn then practice.” Continue reading “My Approach to Teaching”