Scientific Research Shows Lecturing Doesn't Work

In this article, the author describes the scientific research that physics professors from the University of Maryland, Harvard, and Arizona State conducting, indicating that lecturing only helps about 10% of the students learn physics--and those 10% might get the material even without the professor.  Interestingly, the physicists say that if all we are going to do is lecture, students could get that information just as easily from a computer and we can fire all the teachers!   One teaching method they've begun to use is called "peer instruction" in which students in groups discuss the answer to a question and then eventually discuss with the entire class. It's described better in the article, and is just one way to take teachers from being a "sage on the stage" to being a "guide on the side".