A major flaw of the traditional lecture method is that it is limited by the listener's ability and desire to sustain concentration and focus. Hence, the interactive lecture seeks to actively involve students in a variety of ways that will maintain student attention and focus. Interactive lectures are structured around student input. Another limitation of traditional lectures is that they involve little feedback from students. Interactive lectures involve communication between faculty and students so that the lecturer knows if students are understanding the material, and more importantly, how well students are understanding it.
Interactive lectures take prior knowledge into consideration.
The prior knowledge that students bring to the lecture can enhance or interfere with learning. When lectures involve feedback from students, the lecturer can identify and correct misconceptions in student thinking that would otherwise interfere with learning. If students are provided access to correct or sample answers, the tests can be self-scoring. These tests can help focus student attention on key ideas and provide feedback to students on whether or not they understand the material. Or, you could ask students to vote on an opinion question relevant to your topic.