Sharing Good Practice
Help students to value
learning
By Dr Thomas Gamboa Jr., Ed.D.
O
ne of the continuing challenges
teachers face is engaging of
students in meaningful learning
experiences. Too often the
learning outcomes and standards
stipulated by the education system is
not what students find fun or relevant.
With this in mind, as teachers, we must
bridge the gap between required
content and what is meaningful and
relevant to students’ lives.
One way to have students make the
connection between content and
find value in learning is to give them
ownership of the process through
Project Based Learning (PBL). When
students are allowed to make decisions
on what they are learning and how
they are learning it, they become
invested in the outcome more and
actively engaged in the learning. PBL
allows students to determine the way
they want to demonstrate mastery of
content, whether it is a presentation,
a model, or some other method. This
enables them to not only determine
the outcome but to see how the
content relates to the world in which
they live, as well as giving them control
of the learning process.
Another way to help students learn
to value learning is to incorporate
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technology into their learning. One
tool that works well along with PBL is
the use of WebQuests. WebQuests are
predesigned Internet scavenger hunts
that allow students to choose from preselected websites to read and learn to
complete academic tasks. This could
include use of graphic organizers or
other structured student centered
learning activities that help students
learn content and find relevance
through the use of technology.
Expand on the use of PBL and
WebQuest,
by
creating
career
exploration research assignments
using PBL and WebQuest to allow
students to explore the skills they
will need for their chosen future
careers. By using PBL and WebQuest
to demonstrate skills needed to
enter students’ chosen careers, you
allow them to personally explore and
identify the connections between
content and their chosen careers. The
key here is the student takes ownership
of the learning that is structured by the
teacher.
Allowing students to see how the
content they are learning transfers into
future careers through guest speakers
can facilitate interest and engagement
from students. Exploring potential
Class Time
corporate and community partnerships
that are willing to come into the
classroom and share experiences with
students can be a powerful motivator.
Although finding willing partners
can be time consuming, it is such a
powerful tool to motivate students,
and it is worth every invested minute
of effort to build these partnerships.
Expanding on the power of corporate
and community partnerships, another
powerful motivator to engage students
in learning is through the development
of internships. Working with partner
organizations, in creating summer or
temporary internships for students
who demonstrate mastery of content.
This can be a powerful motivator to
engage them in learning. Furthermore,
it also provides them with real world
application and job experiences.
Motivating passive students can be
a real challenge for teachers, but it is
not an impossible task. The key is to
help students take ownership of their
learning, through generating interest
and engagement. Utilise all available
resources to make students active
participants. This will lead to them
becoming active participants instead
of unattached recipients when it
comes to their learning.