M. M. Shahidul Hassan :
The “Chalk & Talk” instructional paradigm — a traditional, teacher-centered approach — has long served as a cornerstone of education. While it has profoundly shaped educational systems over the centuries, its effectiveness has come under increasing scrutiny, particularly since the latter stages of the Third Industrial Revolution (3IR).
Today, many university educators attempt to enhance student engagement by incorporating multimedia tools and videos, aiming for seamless information absorption.
However, even with these additions, this method often falls short in ensuring effective knowledge transmission and struggles to cultivate the employable skills essential for graduates entering today’s workforce.
Why has this approach lost relevance since the 3IR? What alternative methods can effectively replace it? Many education researchers believe the traditional teaching model is nearing obsolescence. These pressing questions warrant exploration.
The traditional knowledge transmission model is rooted in the idea that knowledge is a tangible, independent entity that can be directly transferred from teacher to student.
This perspective regards knowledge as something teachers “own” and can pass on like a physical object, leaving little room for personal interpretation or the contextual understanding that comes from each learner’s unique experiences.
In this model, teachers are seen as authority figures responsible for not only possessing knowledge but also ensuring its accurate transfer to students. This hierarchical structure creates a power dynamic where teachers control both the flow and content of information, while students are passive recipients — essentially vessels for memorization.
Rooted in behaviorism, which emphasizes observable outcomes such as memorization over internal thought processes or personal insights, this approach often views knowledge as static. As a result, it may hinder critical thinking, creativity, and inquiry, leading to a lack of motivation in students to question or explore alternative perspectives.
This limitation can stifle the development of vital problem-solving and innovative thinking skills — abilities that are increasingly essential in a job market shaped by the demands of the Third Industrial Revolution.
Imagine a traditional classroom scene: the teacher stands at the front, delivering a lecture and writing notes on the board. This one-way method expects students to passively absorb information, with those in the front rows appearing attentive and taking notes, while others at the back may be distracted or disengaged.
In such an environment, genuine understanding often gives way to rote memorization, resulting in a shallow grasp of concepts.
The limitations of this approach become clearer when considering how information is processed through sensory, working, and long-term memory. Sensory memory retains information for a very brief period — typically less than a second for visual (iconic) memory and around 2-4 seconds for auditory (echoic) memory.
If not quickly transferred to working memory, this information fades. Working memory, in turn, retains information for about 15-30 seconds and can handle only 5-9 items at a time. In a “Chalk and Talk” setting, teachers often cover too much material too quickly, overwhelming sensory memory and impeding the transfer of information to working memory.
Without focused attention, sensory memory struggles to pass information onward, leaving it unprocessed and unable to reach long-term memory. This purely lecture-based method can thus lead to disengagement, as students may not retain information due to cognitive overload and lack of meaningful interaction. The result is a passive learning experience that fails to promote deep understanding or long-term retention.
The latter part of the 3IR, spanning from the 1970s to the early 2000s, brought transformative changes in business and economics due to advances in information technology, globalization, and new production methods. These shifts redefined industries, reshaped labor markets, and introduced fresh economic paradigms. Unlike earlier industrial revolutions, this era saw a rising demand for university graduates who possessed not only subject knowledge but also essential employable skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and digital literacy.
However, traditional lecture-based teaching often falls short in cultivating these competencies.
As we navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) — marked by rapid developments in artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, and biotechnology — the expectations for graduates have evolved further. Knowledge is no longer static; it continuously evolves.
This dynamic environment requires an educational model that moves beyond content-focused learning toward adaptability and lifelong learning. Today’s graduates need interdisciplinary knowledge and adaptive skills, including emotional intelligence, creativity, problem formulation, empathy, and resilience, to thrive in an interconnected and rapidly changing world.
In response, there is a growing shift toward viewing learning as an active, student-centered process where knowledge is built through exploration, interaction, and reflection.
This constructivist approach empowers students as active agents in their learning, with teachers serving as facilitators rather than mere conveyors of information. For the teaching community in Bangladesh, where traditional practices can sometimes hinder innovation, advocating for approaches that integrate smoothly with minimal disruption is essential.
Methods like Flipped Classroom, Problem-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Experiential Learning offer promising pathways for adapting to the demands of the 4IR. Each of these methodologies fosters crucial adaptive skills while accommodating various educational contexts and objectives, making them well-suited to prepare students for the challenges of this new era.
The question then arises: should the “Chalk & Talk” method be completely discarded? Not necessarily. This traditional knowledge-transfer model still holds value, particularly for laying a strong foundation in theoretical courses. A balanced approach is key — retaining traditional methods where they are most effective while integrating newer approaches in other areas.
Curriculum development should involve a thoughtful evaluation of where the “Chalk & Talk” method is most beneficial, ensuring that changes are both purposeful and minimally disruptive. Embracing innovation is essential to meet the demands of today’s world, but it should be done with a measured approach that maintains stability while promoting progress.
(The author is a former Vice chancellor, East West University and
Professor (retd), BUET