Speech and drama training for lectures as a means of improving university teaching

Murray, Harry G.; Lawrence, C.

doi:10.1007/bf00975777

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…A second study attempting to improve teaching through modification of low-inference classroom behaviors (Murray and Lawrence, 1980) involved intensive training on a limited set of behaviors known to contribute substantially to overall teaching effectiveness. The rationale of this study was that the same expressive behaviors used by actors to convey meaning on the stage-vocal variation, facial expression, movement and gesture, and use of pauses for emphasis-can be used by lecturers to hold attention and communicate more effectively in the college classroom.…”

Section: Modification Of Classroom Teaching Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classroom teaching behaviors related to college teaching effectiveness

Murray

1985

New Drctns for Teach & Learn

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Section: Modification Of Classroom Teaching Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classroom teaching behaviors related to college teaching effectiveness

Murray

1985

New Drctns for Teach & Learn

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“…The charismatic personality interpretation was also supported in a study (Murray and Lawrence, 1980) which showed that speech and drama training can make a modest contribution to improving student ratings of teachers. The largest effects of acting lessons were to produce friendly and approachable gestures as well as increasing facial gestures and expressions.…”

Section: The Personality Of the Highly Rated Professormentioning

confidence: 67%

“…(Murray, 1983). If necessary, a professor may take speech and drama classes (Murray and Lawrence, 1980). The professor should request a share of higher level courses and small class sizes because both are correlated with higher student ratings (Cranton and Smith, 1986).…”

Section: Guides To Good Ratingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student evaluations and the university professor: Caveat professor

Cruse

1987

High Educ

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Research evaluating student ratingsofprofessorsrevealscontinuedcontroversy. Interpretations of student ratings of professors in terms of face validity are marred by halo affects, the apparent inability of even skilled raters to judge complex behaviors adequately, the salience of personality features in judging tasks, and a host of other variables. Research shows student ratings to be reliable, but design flaws for simple, first order, predictions usually omit the teacher as a cause. Interpretations of research are confusing because of justifications that indiscriminately involve nomological and applied models. Rating scale peculiarities, questionable validity, and scholastic homogeneity lead to diverse professional attitudes towards student opinions of professors, with a learner or consumer emphasis occupying the extremes. Several evaluation schemes are noted along with behaviors that tend to produce favorable student opinions.Interest in students evaluating professors in order to improve teaching has a long history and began early in American education (Boyce, 1915). The idea is based on the belief that students, because of their exposure to professors, should know best whether teaching is adequate and whether they are learning.The implementation of the idea is simplicity itself. A set of questions is constructed, questions that refer to the professor's clarity of speech, organization, involvement in student learning, presentation of different viewpoints, fairness in grading, work assignments, and other characteristics. The students are given these questions near the end of the semester, but before the final examination, and they anonymously rate the professor. The ratings are then analysed, related to some performance index, and the professor is, ipso facto, evaluated.The program is so simple, straightforward, and appealing that rating techniques have been developed and used at a number of colleges and universities (Centra, 1979). The ratings are used in selecting professors for salary increases, promotions, and tenure, and are sometimes published for the benefit of the students in course selection. Although student ratings are only one part of evaluation programs and separate fromchairperson evaluations, faculty peer ratings, informal student opinions, and other traditional methods of evaluations, they deserve special attention because of their widespread use and possible misinterpretatio m After three-quarters of a century, controversy still exists over interpretations and use of student ratings (Cohen, 1983;Dowell and Neal, 1983;Dunkin and Barnes, 1986;Murray, 1980). Diversity of opinion ranges from "Teacher evalu-

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“…This perspective is quite consonant with the holistic nature of the definitions and the findings in both teacher enthusiasm and teacher immediacy fields. In the training studies described above, both the Richmond et al (1986) and Murray and Lawrence (1980) studies represented this perspective, and both reported positive outcomes demonstrating the effectiveness of the training. (The studies by McKinney et al (1983) and Streeter (1986) could also be considered as representing this perspective).…”

Section: Can Teacher Enthusiasm/immediacy Be Trainedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research

Smart¹

2007

Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research

853

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All Rights Reserved © 2007 SpringerNo part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.

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Speech and drama training for lectures as a means of improving university teaching

Cited by 25 publications

References 3 publications

Classroom teaching behaviors related to college teaching effectiveness

Classroom teaching behaviors related to college teaching effectiveness

Student evaluations and the university professor: Caveat professor

Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research

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