Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Click here if you'd like to watch Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. Prompted by saddening news of his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Pausch presented this powerfully presented talk about what he would say if it were his last lecture. He died in 2008. From that time since, it has been viewed by more than 10 million people on YouTube.

We've been asked to comment on Pausch's teaching methods. While the presentation itself was not aimed at dissecting his classroom environment and giving all of his standard methods, he still casually addressed them. But, before enumerating upon them, I'd like to note that Pausch's teaching style is partly seen in the techniques which he employed in the speech. He drew audience interest by keeping the atmosphere light. He began by stating there were some things about which he would not be speaking; therefore, he realized that some things would not be profitable for that audience and/or that some things would not be interesting enough to maintain the audience's attention. For being a virtual reality expert, one might have presumed his visual presentation would have been more elaborate or complex. Instead, it was quite simple.

As I already mentioned, Pausch covered a lot of other things about which I will not comment, though they are very interesting. Throughout the part of the video that discusses the ways through which he enabled others to reach their dreams, he stated several teaching methods he employed as a professor. I may have missed some of them, but mostly, they are:

(1) If your students do well--even better than expected--tell them they did well, but that they can do better. Earlier in his talk, Pausch said he had been taught an important lesson. He said most people see a brick wall and assume they must stop and turn around. He suggested the brick wall, rather, is there to cause one to demonstrate how badly he or she wants something. This teaching method fits well with this concept of the brick wall.

(2) Start with the fundamentals. One of Pausch's dreams was to play in the NFL. Though he did not make it as a professional athlete, he said that not all dreams can be expected to be fulfilled. Instead, aiming for those unfufilled goals itself has its edifying qualities. Pausch described one of the football coaches of his youth. The man was, as Pausch called him, "old school." The coach didn't bring a football to the team's first practice, asserting there are 21 others players on the field while one holds the ball. In other words, he wanted to impress upon the players that fundamentals came before special plays or awesome skills.

(3) Encourage sharing accomplishments. Pausch reminisced of a class he had taught that did great work. They did so well that their roommates, parents and others were coming to the class to observe what they were doing. He encouraged them to share their accomplishments because they were noteworthy and because others could be benefited by them in a positive way.

(4) Involve the audience. While this was not mentioned as a part of his classroom experience, it seemed to fit as a teaching method he would have employed. While working in visual reality, there were great opportunities he sought to allow audiences to do more than just view the scene, but to participate in it. Involving an audience excites them more, which often leads to more learning and a better perception of the material.

(5) Allow your class to bond. Pausch said his best classes/groups were those who were the closest to one another. They could stand close to another, laugh, discuss, etc. The more they would bond, he said, the better the work they'd produce. As a part of this method, he also alluded to the notion that he prefers that students work in groups.

(6) Give students freedom and field trips. The more space you give a student to work, the better, Pausch would suggest. Shortly after mentioning freedom, he also mentioned field trips. The "hands-on" experience is a proven means to enable better learning.

(7) Be glad others reach dreams because of you. Pausch did not present himself as arrogant. He was happy to fulfill his childhood dreams, but as a teacher, he seemed even more accomplished for having helped others reach theirs. He gave the example of Moses--that Moses got to see the promised land, but he was not allowed to enter in. When teachers help others reach their goals, they should be content. It isn't always about receiving credit; it's about working together to further a cause, to better a field, and to benefit society.

(8) Entertain students. This was certainly no surprise--a virtual reality expert promoting the use of video games and virtual reality in education. Pausch saw great benefit in keeping students purposefully entertained.

Hopefully, this gives you some idea of Pausch's teaching methods. Crafting just a few of these would greatly benefit the classroom. Developing all of them in some way would nearly perfect the classroom.