“A student is not a container to fill, but a torch to light up” (Zakrzewski 24). Although not a teacher, Albert Einstein understood many things about learning and discovery. His early schooling years were plagued by poor educational practices. Teachers would often call him “too stupid to learn” because of the number of questions he asked. Einstein was simply curious, and it is this curiosity which led him down the path to become one of the greatest minds ever to walk out earth. According to psychologist Carol Dweck, several people, especially young students, “suffer from” a fixed mind-set -- “the belief that their basic qualities or abilities cannot be developed or changed, so they are less motivated to work hard and learn” (Himmele n.
…show more content…
Students tend to lose motivation if they are restricted in options (Larmer 43). If an assignment is too difficult, students lose hope (Quate 63). However, if an assignment is too easy, students tend to disregard it (Quate 63). The best assignments allow kids to work with a real life purpose (Quate 64). One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate problem solving into the project (Quate 64). Students tend to prefer more challenging assignments, ones which are not too easy, nor too difficult, and possibly require teamwork to solve (Quate 63). Effective teachers emphasize teamwork, because in real life, they will be scarcely working alone (Larmer 45). Students should feel like they own a project (Larmer 43). A good way to give students more ownership in a project is to give more choice to students (Larmer 43). Projects are a great way to promote creativity, which is important to self-discovery (Wormeli …show more content…
Each class is not an isolated entity of the world, teachers should make connections between subjects, even the arts (Wormeli 31). Classes each interweave with each other,and by utilizing these connections, teachers can vastly expand student understanding. For example, teachers can make strong connections between by incorporating culture into assignments, encouraging self-discovery (Wormeli 30). Teachers can also keep students engaged by incorporating social interaction into content (Wormeli 29). The best teachers rarely sit behind their desk (Wormeli 64). One of the best teaching practices is widely known as active learning (Wieman n. pag.). Active learning is when students spend time solving problems, discussing material, and answering questions, all while getting feedback from the teacher (Wieman n. pag.). A study done by the National Academy of Sciences, Active learning was proven to improve learning among all collegiate levels of science and engineering classes (Wieman n. pag.). Research has been conducted on K-12 schools, however, since it is difficult to control variables when researching in K-12 schools, results are unclear to how effective active learning is in K-12 schools (Wieman n. pag.). Even so, since it requires a higher level of subject mastery from the instructor, active learning is easiest implemented at the collegiate level (Wieman n. pag.). However, if it is implemented in pre-collegiate
Students tend to lose motivation if they are restricted in options (Larmer 43). If an assignment is too difficult, students lose hope (Quate 63). However, if an assignment is too easy, students tend to disregard it (Quate 63). The best assignments allow kids to work with a real life purpose (Quate 64). One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate problem solving into the project (Quate 64). Students tend to prefer more challenging assignments, ones which are not too easy, nor too difficult, and possibly require teamwork to solve (Quate 63). Effective teachers emphasize teamwork, because in real life, they will be scarcely working alone (Larmer 45). Students should feel like they own a project (Larmer 43). A good way to give students more ownership in a project is to give more choice to students (Larmer 43). Projects are a great way to promote creativity, which is important to self-discovery (Wormeli …show more content…
Each class is not an isolated entity of the world, teachers should make connections between subjects, even the arts (Wormeli 31). Classes each interweave with each other,and by utilizing these connections, teachers can vastly expand student understanding. For example, teachers can make strong connections between by incorporating culture into assignments, encouraging self-discovery (Wormeli 30). Teachers can also keep students engaged by incorporating social interaction into content (Wormeli 29). The best teachers rarely sit behind their desk (Wormeli 64). One of the best teaching practices is widely known as active learning (Wieman n. pag.). Active learning is when students spend time solving problems, discussing material, and answering questions, all while getting feedback from the teacher (Wieman n. pag.). A study done by the National Academy of Sciences, Active learning was proven to improve learning among all collegiate levels of science and engineering classes (Wieman n. pag.). Research has been conducted on K-12 schools, however, since it is difficult to control variables when researching in K-12 schools, results are unclear to how effective active learning is in K-12 schools (Wieman n. pag.). Even so, since it requires a higher level of subject mastery from the instructor, active learning is easiest implemented at the collegiate level (Wieman n. pag.). However, if it is implemented in pre-collegiate