> format used for millennia in education of every professional and technical class of society across multiple continents
This is a very misleading summary. The most dominant format for millennia across continents etc. is apprenticeship and direct tutorial (sometimes called “coaching” or the like). Even today serious high-level professional training is done by such means.
Lecture is a low-quality substitute which people turn to when the number of students vastly outstrips the number of teachers, and the teachers can’t afford the time and attention to work directly with the students in small groups.
In universities, early introductory courses get stuck with lectures so that scholars can focus their direct instruction time on graduate students who are serious about becoming scholars themselves.
This is a very misleading summary. The most dominant format for millennia across continents etc. is apprenticeship and direct tutorial (sometimes called “coaching” or the like). Even today serious high-level professional training is done by such means.
Lecture is a low-quality substitute which people turn to when the number of students vastly outstrips the number of teachers, and the teachers can’t afford the time and attention to work directly with the students in small groups.
In universities, early introductory courses get stuck with lectures so that scholars can focus their direct instruction time on graduate students who are serious about becoming scholars themselves.