Turning lectures into learning

The traditional approach to teaching -- lecturing -- predates medieval times and focuses solely on the transfer of information. Before the printing press, lecturing was the only way to educate the next generation. Even though information is now readily in many forms, we still largely rely on this antiquated method of teaching. Instead of lecturing, we should devote our attention to helping students assimilate information. In this talk I will discuss and demonstrate one method, Peer Instruction, that I have successfully employed to help students assimilate conceptual knowledge in class. We will try out the technique with a few simple questions, and I will show data on the learning gains I have obtained in my courses.