Middle school goes by quickly for many young students. Students experience a new workload and a budding social life all in a short time. Needless to say, they have a lot going on. That is why it is important to leave students with memorable learning experiences that involve students being genuinely engaged in the classroom. Not only should students be engaged but I also want them to be interested and maybe even excited about their lessons. My goal as a teacher is to provide a memorable and effective learning experience for students using different techniques.
As a student, I know what it is like to be listening to the lecture but have my mind drift elsewhere. Passive listening can occur when someone is disinterested in the topic or just has other things going on. I know that when I am distracted in class, and I start to think about what I am going to do after class, I often miss important details in the teacher’s instruction. When passive listening occurs in the classroom, it is difficult to determine what information the student heard and what details they missed. This shows that there is more a teacher can do to make learning less boring. Himmele and Himmele (2017) introduce the idea of Total Participation Techniques that assure active student participation.
Total Participation Techniques would require introverted students to interact with their classmates and extroverted students to allow their classmates a chance to speak up (Himmele & Himmele, 2017). However, discussing ideas and opinions about the lessons and teaching other students what they learned is a great skill they will use for the rest of their lives. These techniques also allow teachers to gauge what the students have learned and what they are struggling with.
When I become a teacher with my own classroom, I like the idea of having my chairs and desks arranged in a circle where everyone can see each other. In one of my college English classes this semester there is a Socratic seminar scheduled for each class meeting that we are required to participate in. This is effective because we get the chance to have a discussion about the text we are reading and what relevance it has to us or any questions we have that other students might be able to answer. The professor sits among us in the circle of desks and contributes to the conversation here and there but ultimately allows the students to lead the discussion. I really like this structure because it gives students a chance to articulate their thoughts on the text and possibly see a different perspective provided by another student. It also strays away from the classic stand and talk at the students until the bell rings that I associate with middle school.
When I observed in a middle school with a teacher who taught both 6th grade and 7th grade, I saw firsthand how difficult it was to engage the students. However, one way this teacher really engaged the students and made the class fun was by allowing them to create their own version of a favored story. The students’ imaginations ran wild as they went over ideas with their group members. This teacher also makes an effort to write her own questions that students would not be able to look up word for word and find the answer. Himmele and Himmele (2017) mention a similar instance where a teacher creates their own questions that might be more interesting for the students.I plan to ask students to share their interests and possibly integrate it into the lesson plans.
While it may be a challenge to actively engage students in the classroom, it is a welcome challenge that requires teachers to step out of the box and think about their students. Not all students are going to enjoy school but it is my job as their teacher to make their education meaningful and enjoyable. I will know if a student is engaged when they show excitement about their assignments.
References
Himmele, P., & Himmele, W. (2017). Total participation techniques: making every student an active learner (2nd ed.). ASCD