Teacher Man Frank Mccourt Notes
How To Create An Interactive Classroom
Capturing the attention of a classroom of young students is no easy feat. Inspiring and encouraging them is a whole other ballgame. What are some of the techniques teachers can use to get their students actively learning? Listed below are a few ideas.
1. Speak to them in a language they understand.
This doesn’t mean speaking in slang or dropping pop culture references every other sentence, it means understanding the things your students are passionate about and incorporating those things into your lesson plans. Frank McCourt wrote a brilliant book called Teacher Man. In it he discussed the struggles he had getting his inner city New York high school students to write. When going through his desk he came across a drawer full of excuse notes clearly written by his students. These kids write all the time he thought. And so their next assignment was to write up the most elaborate excuse they could think of. Suddenly he found himself amongst a group of eager and actively participating students.
2. Change their learning environment.
Stick anyone in one seat for a day and they’re going to have difficulty sitting still. Restart your students’ mental batteries by changing their environment. An outdoor classroom is an ideal way to do this. You don’t have to teach all your lessons out of it, but maybe one per day. It might be a great place to teach biology or to conduct a book club. Fresh air can do wonders for the mind. Moreover, getting your students up and out of their seats will do wonders for their concentration and interest.
3. Give them something to aspire to.
Most teenagers can’t digest the idea that all of the things they are learning now will serve them in the future. People like immediate results, so give them some. I’m not talking about end of term reports, I am talking about creating competitions with prizes. Or maybe setting up an in-class government, with a president, a vice president, a treasurer, and secretaries of state. Students who are more active and show certain strengths will earn specific titles. The higher the position the more say they have in the activities the class does. Not only will you be encouraging students to buckle down, but you will be giving them a say in what and how they learn.
Give students a reason to get involved and there’s a good chance they will. I hope that these ideas were helpful and would encourage that you think of others. Let the learning begin!
About the Author
Fabric Architecture Ltd has been specialising in the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of tensile fabric structures since 1984. Learn more about
Outdoor Classrooms
at
http://www.fabricarchitecture.com/outdoor-classroom
