Teachers Corner: Chalks Talks vs PowerPoints

by Elio
 

A chalk talk. Source

Two years ago today, Christopher Waters from Michigan State University posted a preprint in bioRxiv en­titled "Rock the Chalk: A five-year com­par­ative an­alysis of a large micro­biology lecture course reveals im­proved out­comes of chalk-talk com­pared to Power­Point." It is a good read for any­one pre­paring to re­turn to in-person teach­ing, par­ticu­larly those of you who will be pre­paring lec­tures for courses with large enroll­ments. Should you be using pri­marily Power­Point (or other similar formats) presen­tations or should you be relying more on "old-style chalk talks" format? Both ap­proaches have merits and it is for each person to decide which ap­proach will work best. But this is a unique oppor­tunity for all teach­ers to re-think how they might im­prove their lec­ture style. Here's my take on the pros and cons of chalk talks and Power­Points:
 

 

Chalks Talks
 

Pros

Spontaneity

Excitement

Connection with the audience

Greater flexibility to veer material during lecture
 

Cons

Require special skills in writing and drawing

Require special speaking skills
 

 

PowerPoints
 

Pros

Demand more careful preparation

Permit selection of appropriate visuals

Can be shared with the students
 

Cons

Can be stultified, ergo boring

Tend to be impersonal

Permit to use the same set year after year