Teachers know how to engage the class and get the points across. But once the questions get beyond the prepared script, they tend to fall down and, at best, resort to “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Subject Matter Experts {SME} may not have the presentation and classroom skills, but can rely on their experience and expertise to answer questions and shift direction on the spot. This keeps the students engaged.

Which should you use?

Once again, it depends.

If you are giving a lecture to 100 students and will not be answering questions, use the teacher.

If you are teaching technical skills to a small group, use the SME.

In the ideal world, you would have both in the classroom. This is costly.

Technology is changing the paradigm.

Salman Khan of Khan Academy is reinventing the classroom. Here’s a video where he explains his approach:

His approach, called the flipped classroom, puts the lectures on videos that the students watch outside the classroom. Then the class time is spent working exercises and interacting with the teacher. The students are less bored. They can watch and re-watch the videos until they get it. They can then progress at their own pace.

This has the effect of pulling the polished presentation teacher out of the classroom and into video production.

It also increases the value of the SME in the question-intensive classroom.

Here is Salman Kahn’s more detailed explanation:

A win all around.