Teaching and Learning: The Critical Balance in Effective Education

This lecture addresses the balance between teaching and learning and explores the notion that “we teach too much and our students learn too little.” Research in the areas of teaching and learning, in addition to personal experience in construction education, are used to show how appropriate teaching styles and a learner centered approach can be combined to improve learning and reinforce the belief that the true goal of education should be to produce self-motivated, independent lifelong learners. Data from an informal study of student perceptions are presented to show that much is achieved when faculty make it possible for students to be independent active learners and accept responsibility for their own learning.