Reducing “Spoon-Feeding” to Promote Independent Thinking

Janice T. Blane
This paper was completed and submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master Teacher Program, a 2-year faculty
professional development program conducted by the Center for Faculty Excellence, United States Military
Academy, West Point, NY, 2015.

Introduction
Spoon-feeding through dense lectures has for many years been the traditional method of teaching
in the classroom (Boyer, 1987). What is spoon-feeding? This type of teaching primarily consists
of a teacher-centered style of instruction where the instructor provides the students with all of the
information they need to know for the course resulting in destroying initiative or curbing
independent thought and action (Collins American English Dictionary Online, n.d.). For a
teacher, this type of teaching is the easiest and most efficient way to disseminate information to a
large amount of students. Spoon-feeding is also convenient because prepping from semester to
semester becomes a matter of making minor updates and changes (Samah, 2009). An instructor
can express exactly what he/she wants during a lesson at the pace that the instructor wishes to
teach. Students then know that all they need to do is to take copious notes, memorize the
material, and hopefully, they will be able to pass tests with a reasonable grade (Dehler, 2014). As
a result, students become passive learners who do not take responsibility for their own learning.
They lack the curiosity to become fluent in the material and will eventually forget much of what
they learned once the course is completed. Ideally, by the time students graduate, they will
achieve a state of deeper learning where they can take ownership of their education. Through
creative teaching, a student-centered learning environment, and by not spoon-feeding, a teacher
can be successful at laying the foundation for a lifetime of independent thinking.

Key Issues
For many educators, spoon-feeding appears to be the only solution for ensuring that their
students receive all of the content for their class. First of all, many believe that students have
been conditioned to learn by this method and demand that they be taught in this manner. As
teachers, they feel that they cannot change the way that their students think (McKay, 1997).
From primary grade school through secondary school, the majority of their learning was done
through the teacher breaking down the material and giving them all of the facts that they need to
know in order to do well on exams. To some extent, this can be one of the best methods for
students to understand the fundamentals, but this is not in line with the overarching goal of a
higher education institution.
By the time the students move onto their undergraduate education, they expect to be taught in the
same manner, and their focus becomes what they need to do in order to get good grades on the
next test. Many times they end up learning the material through rote memorization without ever
asking why or seeing the big picture (Rehm, 2010). Once a certain topic is memorized and
tested, students tend to forget the subject matter making this spoon-feeding type of teaching
unreliable for degrees where the graduates are expected to have a full understanding of what they

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learned (i.e. medicine, engineering, etc.) Students eventually lack initiative and problem-solving
skills because they have not been trained to search for data by themselves (Samah, 2009).
Continuing to spoon-feed students in higher education perpetuates the issue of stifling their
creative thinking and independent learning. Therefore, it becomes the role of the higher educator
to take these learners of low self-direction who depend on someone to tell them exactly what
they need to do and when to do it and turn them into learners of high self-direction who set goals,
take responsibility for their own learning, and assess their own productivity (Grow, 1991).

Case Studies
Gow and Kember (1990) analyzed quantitative data using the Bigg’s Study Process Questionaire
(Biggs, 1987) and qualitative data through the use of student interviews in order to determine
whether or not a higher education institution in Hong Kong promoted independent or deeper
learning. What they discovered was that deeper learning actually reduced throughout the years at
the school. Interestingly, the study revealed that much of the surface learning resulted from the
students having a high work load. With the amount of lectures and required readings, students
simply did not have the time to study the lecture material for a deeper understanding. In class,
many students are overwhelmed by the amount of note taking they need to do that the focus is to
just take the notes and hopefully understand the material later. The lecture format of feeding
students the material without allowing them to digest the information, therefore, shapes the way
they eventually approach learning. For many, it becomes the superficial type of learning that
results in them forgetting the subject matter at the end of the term. This study shows how poor
teaching styles can be the root cause of poor learning approaches. Teachers must be able to
develop an intrinsic motivation within their students through good teaching in order to develop in
them a deeper approach to studying.
McKay and Kember (1997) reported on a restructured diploma course curriculum at the Hong
Kong university that focused on reducing the lecture content and spoon-feeding in a culture that
believed that spoon-feeding was the only effective way to teach. The alternative curriculum
contained more tutorial groups. Case studies, role playing and student led seminars were used to
improve clinical reasoning and analytical judgment. Lectures were limited to introducing and
defining topics and guest lectures. As a result of creating more student-centered teaching
environments, this study proved that students can develop more meaningful learning approaches
given a well-structured knowledge base, appropriate motivational context, active learning
activities, and interaction with others. Students at the end of the study reported a preference to
this style of teaching and demonstrated a positive approach to this type of learning.
Drew (1990) conducted a study on a dental hygiene preclinical course at Bergen Community
College by changing the primarily lecture focused course into a more collaborative format,
which made students more active learners. By using group inquiry where students learned from
each other’s questions and shared each other’s knowledge, the result was students learning in a
comfortable environment and at a faster pace. As students moved away from the spoon-feeding

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of the lecture format towards this student-centered strategy, the learning became more of a
collaborative process where both teacher and students gained from the relationship.

Techniques to Reduce Spoon-Feeding and Increase Student-Centered Learning

Overall, there are several alternate methods to spoon-feeding that can promote independent
learning.
• Peer learning-teaching (Drew, 1990), case studies, role playing, and student led seminars
(McKay, 1997) foster a student-centered teaching environment and encourage
participatory learning.
• Asking and answering question techniques. Asking open-ended questions and divergent
questions promote discussion. When able, questions should not be directly answered.
Redirecting the question to another student to get more participation or asking probing
questions can help the students realize the answers on their own. (Cashin, 1995)
• Group inquiry classes (Drew, 1990) and tutorial groups (McKay, 1997) increase the
interaction with others. The smaller classes allow easier interaction with the instructor
and groups learn to actively participate in the learning by working on assignments as a
team and learning together (McKay, 1997).
• Spending more time on core topics rather than covering everything in the subject (Smith,
2008). Sometimes spoon-feeding can be a result of trying to cram a large amount of
material in a small period of time. Choosing to develop a topic can pique the interest of
the students and help them appreciate the material better than just providing them with a
list of facts that they need to memorize.
• Demonstrating learning through claims to knowledge (Dehler, 2014) by designing
assignments allows students to reconstruct what they learned and understand to develop
their own insights while seeking to convey their learning.

The lecture format which typically results in spoon-feeding students everything that they need to
know in a passive learning environment are still used throughout higher education institutions.
Either for convenience or through the lack of faith in students, teachers continue to instruct in
this manner. Studies have shown that it is possible to change the way students approach learning
and that spoon-feeding can be reduced in order to promote independent thinking. There are many
methods that can help foster a stimulating learning environment where students take ownership
of their own learning. The best techniques are those techniques that focus on a student-centered
teaching style and emphasize active learning.

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References:
Biggs, J. (1987). Student Approaches to Learning and Studying. Melbourne: Australian Council
for Educational Research.
Boyer, E. L. (1987). College, the Undergraduate Experience in America. New York: Harper &
Row.
Cashin, W. (1995). Answer and Asking Questions. Center for Faculty Evaluation and
Development: Idea Paper, 31.
Grow, G. O. (1991/1996). Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed. Adult Education Quarterly,
41(3), 125-149.
Spoon-fed [def. 3] (n.d.) In Collins American English Dictionary Online. Retrieved April 19,
2015, http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american/spoon-feed.

Annotated Readings:
Dehler, G. E. and Welsh, M. A. (2014). Against Spoon-Feeding. For Learning. Reflections on
Students’ Claims to Knowledge. Journal of Management Education, 38(6), 875-893.
The author makes a case against spoon-feeding and for integrative learning emphasizing that
facts are the starting point for developing knowledge. The end result should be a student who is
engaging with claims to knowledge rather than full of random facts. Difficulty in incorporating
integrative learning stemmed from students being too ingrained in the traditional spoon-fed
method of teaching which resulted in the inability to truly master the complexity of course
content. Though a struggle, spoon-feeding can be overcome with hard work and dedication.

Drew, C. P. (1990). Are You Spoon-Feeding Your Students? A Paper on Facilitating a

Collaborative Learning Experience. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Merced
County Community College on Student Retention in Two-Year Colleges, Trenton, NJ.
This paper presents the results of a classroom experimentation implemented and assessed in
Dental Hygiene preclinical course. The experiment involved using strategies of group inquiry
and peer learning-teaching and moving from the lecture format to a collaborative format. With
students being more comfortable from learning from each other and becoming more active
learners, the instructor is no longer an authority figure but a resource person. Students learned to
accept and share the responsibility of the learning process, and the bonding created from the
peer-teaching resulted in students having a higher chance of staying in college.

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Gow, L. and Kember, D. (1990). Does Higher Education Promote Independent Learning? Higher
Education, 19(3), 307-322.
The paper discusses the extent to which higher education promotes independent learning by
analyzing qualitative and quantitative data from a tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Creating
independent learners begin with them adopting a deep approach. The deep approach is strongly
related to having intrinsic motivation. Students tended to use surface strategies for multiple
choice or short answer and used deep strategies with open-ended assignments. Also, students
with a higher workload and an overwhelming curriculum also tended to use surface strategies.
Furthermore, a lecturer who goes to quickly results in students mindlessly copying information.

Laird, T. F., Seifert, T., Pascarella, E., Mayhew, M., and Blaich, C. (2014). Deeply Affecting
First-Year Students’ Thinking: Deep Approaches to Learning and Three Dimensions of
Cognitive Development. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(3), 402-432.
This article discusses a study that analyzes the effects of a deep approach to learning for first-
year students of higher education. The author emphasizes the focus of what it means to take the
deep approach to learning and the importance of this type of learning for student success and the
eventual success of applying this knowledge to real world situations. The results prove that deep
learning does have an effect on the students’ need for cognition and their attitudes towards lesson
material. If critical thinking skills are a priority, deep learning should be used more for
developing those skills.

McKay, J. and Kember, D. (1997). Spoon Feeding Leads to Regurgitation: a better diet can result
in more digestible learning outcomes. Higher Education Research & Development, 16(1), 55-67.
This article takes a case study for a diploma course based on the assumption that students expect
to be spoon fed and are only capable of regurgitation the information and proves the assumption
incorrect. The course was originally a memorization course but was altered in order to
incorporate more clinical reasoning, problem-solving, and analytical judgment through the use of
case studies, role playing, and student led seminars. Overall, the student-centered strategies
stimulated the students to learn and gave them a sense of responsibility for their own learning.

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Rhem, J. (2010). Deep/Surface Approaches to Learning in Higher Education: A Research
Update. Essays on Teaching Excellence: Toward the Best in the Academy, 21(8).
This essay discusses much of the reasoning for students why students take the deep vs. surface
approaches to learning. Many times, the type of learning approach was based on what they were
going to be expected to know, whether it be just the facts of the course of deeper meaning of the
course. Individual students’ learning styles and learning environments also affect the preference
to deep or surface approaches. Rewarding reflection and understanding strongly encourages
students to pursue deep learning. Because it can be difficult to motivate students towards the
deep approach, teachers much create a learning environment that supports student learning and
understanding.

Samah, S., Jusoff, K., and Silong A. (2009). Does Spoon-feeding Impede Independent Learning?
Canadian Social Science, 5(3), 82-90.
This article addresses the issue of spoon-feeding in higher education from dense lectures to
providing learning materials to students in order to save the time and effort of both the teachers
and the learners. The author points out the advantages of spoon-feeding but also emphasizes the
limitations. Because spoon-feeding results in rote memorization where knowledge is easily
forgotten after the exam, this type of teaching is not beneficial for disciplines that are expected to
have a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The author then promotes the collaborative
approach as an alternative teaching process to spoon-feeding.

Smith, H. (2008). Spoon-feeding: or how I learned to stop worrying and love the mess. Teaching
in Higher Education, 13(6), 715-718.
In this article, the author compares spoon-feeding students to the more literal metaphor of spoon-
feeding her infant. In both cases, the receiver depends on the higher authority figure-one for
knowledge and the other for nourishment. Just as it can get messy teaching an infant to self-feed,
there can be a mess as students become confused or frustrated attempting independent learning.
Though it is not easy, teachers must take the responsibility to provide their students with the
opportunities to learn for themselves without fear in order to diminish the extent of spoon-
feeding.