Jenny Moon on "Lecture Journals"

A good thought from Jenny Moon in her book Learning Journals (Kogan Page, 1999), it reflects a thought I had also had as a result of observing some teaching here at the Uni:

"The lecture journal is a general method of journal use that can cut across all disciplines in formal education and can be used alone or as a component of a journal. One of the problems with the traditional lecture method is that in its usual form it may not provide the time during which learners can think about its content and relate that to previous learning or experience. Students also require time to take notes that further cut down the opportunity for deep learning. It is probably fair to say that most students collect the notes from the day's classes and file them away for later reference.

A lecture journal, however, in which they reflect on the content of a lecture, provides the opportunity to deepen and thereby to improve the quality of learning. There can be variations on the theme. Students might, for example, be asked to formulate a series of questions that arise from the content of the lecture or to record a conversation with another about the lecture." (p. 51 in the 2002 reprint)

• We need to give students more time to digest and analyse what they are being told in the lecture.
• We need to bring considered criticality and reflection into the classroom.
• We need to allow students to ask questions and debate the issues when they have the chance, when they are all together in the room with the tutor as moderator. It's hopelessly naive to think that most students will go away and meditate for a couple of hours on the notes they hurriedly make in class.

I'm all for extended annotation of lecture handouts - use them as a tool for learning.
What about giving students questions to consider in advance of the lecture?
What about "homework" - tasks to do after the lecture has finished? I might use question spaces or other tasks on WebCT to encourage engagement.