Before Your Lesson Begins Ask Yourself These 6 Questions
If you choose to be in education, it is already understood that learning is a never-ending process. Professional development will last forever and we must continue to find ways to reinvent ourselves. Teachers know this and share these passions with their students. Every year, every class and every new lesson brings new challenges and no matter which generation comes around teachers must instill problem-solving skills in their students.
We need more Problem-Based Learning
Problem-based learning is one of the most effective ways of retaining information and has been proven to be effective for hands-on learners. Showing someone how to solve a problem is much more helpful than just telling them. Also, becoming a problem-solver gives you a confidence boost, but also inspires those around you to do the same (Hmelo, 2004). It s one thing to inspire and provide opportunities to show their growth but here are a few things that should be taken into consideration when diving into this method.
Six Questions to ask yourself before presenting a lesson
How is the learning climate and classroom culture, do students feel safe sharing their thoughts, ideas, and passion with others,
Is the classroom assessment authentic and does the teacher review what can be done to improve for next time?
Does the assignment allow for reflection so teachers can see the learning occur thought-out the lesson?
How is the content related to the students’ lives? Has the teacher done the community research to identify areas that they can bring inside of the classroom?
Can the teacher diversify the content to meet all learners while challenging all students?
How is the teacher growing in ways to further their knowledge in their discipline. Things change and new research emerges, staying involved in discipline-specific conferences not only push ideas but bridge connections.
How is your relationship with your students?
Being encouraging and fostering creativity is so important as a teacher. Realizing that your students are all individual people with very different tastes will help to encourage them to think outside the box. It will also help you to get to know them individually while nurturing their individual passion. Focusing on your student’s individual needs and building personal relationships, while enthusiastically and passionately relaying the information in various ways allows for students to thrive in any situation. A place where students can learn from their mistakes, openly ask questions, and learn creative ways to solve problems, builds a trusting environment where they feel safe to grow and develop without criticism. In turn, this encourages critical thinking and promotes analysis and evaluation. This also aids in building the importance of teamwork, which is very beneficial and the way of the future work (Alber, 2015).
References
Alber, R. (2015, August 6). 20 tips for creating a safe learning environment. Edutopia. Retrieved April 6, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-create-safe-learning-environment-rebecca-alber
Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-Based Learning: What and How Do Students Learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23363859