Running Head: Lecture Critique Assignment
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Lecture: Critique Assignment
PSYC775
July 17, 2022
Lecture: Critique Assignment
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The lecture video that I have selected for this paper is the ‘Intro to Psychology Lecture
by Paul Bloom of Yale’.
• Professor’s Appearance
I am impressed by the appearance of Professor Paul Bloom. His dressing sense,
grooming level, and overall look, all seem to be very perfect to me. The business suit that he
wears while delivering the lecture makes him look very professional and gentle at the same
time. It makes the students view him as an authoritative figure (YouTube, 2008).
• Oral Communication
Professor Paul Bloom has a very casual communication style. His tone of voice was very
friendly and approachable. His pitch, as well as tone, was consistent throughout the lecture.
He made the correct use of inflections in order to highlight the important points and ensure
that all the students were able to understand everything. The volume of his speech was quite
high, which ensured that everything was clearly audible to all the students. Moreover, his
speed of delivering the speech was also correct. It allowed the students to easily grasp and
understand what he was talking about (YouTube, 2008).
• Physical Presence
The professor had a strong command over the room. He delivered the lecture from the
podium of the stage while reading out from a script. At the beginning of the lecture, he
constantly stood in one position. However, later he started moving on the stage. He made
use of gestures such as hand movements in order to deliver the lecture in a more interactive
and engaging manner. He also had constant eye contact with the students (YouTube, 2008).
• Lecture Organization/ Technology Use
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The lecture by Paul Bloom was very well-organized, which made it easier to understand
all the topics involved. At first, he provided a brief view of all the topics that will be covered
in the introduction lecture. He gave us an idea of all the different topics that we would be
learning. He even gave an idea of how the course will proceed in the coming days for better
clarity for the students. He provided information relating to the syllabus of the course. He
even emphasized the importance of doing the course and how we can apply the lessons
learned in real life.
The use of material or technology is important in order to deliver a lecture. The
technology that Professor Paul Bloom used in order to deliver the lecture is PowerPoint
presentations. It became easy for the students to go through the information. The use of
slides also enabled the students to note down the important points of the lecture easily.
• Confidence and Knowledge
Professor Paul Bloom was indeed comfortable throughout the lecture. There was no sign
of nervousness. He was quite confident while delivering the lecture on stage. His confidence
clearly reflected his stronghold and mastery of the subject and the topics. He had authority
on the subject, and it was noticeable through his delivery of the lecture and physical
appearance (YouTube, 2008).
• Student Interactions
The lecture of Professor Paul Bloom was quite interactive. In order to break the ice with
the student, he made use of humor. An example of this is “if you’re in the witness protection
program or some sort of fugitive, you probably don’t want to sit in the front row”. He also
asked questions to the students to make the session interactive. For instance, at the beginning
of the class, he asked the students to raise their hand who had the syllabus of the course. He
was very friendly in responding to the doubts and queries of the students.
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• Activities/ Demonstrations
The professor made sure that all the students in the class were attentive and interested in
the class. For this reason, he made use of humor. An example of his humour is, “ideally this
will be accessed by people in many different countries, some who would not normally have
access to [an] education. I see this as a good and honorable use of Yale’s resources, and, of
course, it’s also part of Yale’s plan for world domination”.
2. Critique
• Strengths
There were a number of strengths in the lecture of Professor Paul Bloom. One of his
strengths was that he had a strong understanding and knowledge of the subject. He was well
aware of his academic goals (Kapur, 2020). It enabled him to deliver the lecture confidently.
Another strength was that he made use of PowerPoint presentations in order to deliver the
lecture. It helped in making notes of the important points.
• Weakness
Despite so many strengths, there were also some weaknesses in the lecture. One of the
weaknesses is that he used too much of the script at the beginning of the lecture. The second
weakness I identified is that he used a lot of ‘um’ in order to show hesitation. However,
overall, the lecture of the professor was engaging and interesting.
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References
Kapur, R. (2020). Lecture Method: The Comprehensively used Pedagogical Method.
YouTube. (2008, September 30). Introduction to Psychology. YouTube. Retrieved July 15,
2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3FKHH2RzjI.
