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Getting students to learn in and participate in classes is always a struggle for teachers, but is it really the teachers’ fault?.
A survey of six different learning techniques was taken by more than 200 NS students. The results suggested that students want to be more engaged in the classroom. By far the most popular learning techniques employed by teachers were engaging activities such as hands-on learning, with a close follow up being independent work time. On the other end of the spectrum, less engaging activities such as online or book work were ranked as least favorable with lecture coming in at second worst.
“I feel that while students’ attitudes are very important in school, that the teacher is the most important person in the classroom,” said sophomore Darren Anderson. He feels that getting the students engaged is the most important part of the learning process. Anderson has had classes where the teacher mostly assigns book or online work, leaving no room for engagement; he does not believe he gets anything out of those assignments.
“I get a lot more out of classes when the teacher is funny and engaging,” said sophomore Scott Shock. Shock believes that while it is important for the student to come to class with a willingness to learn, that a good teacher can compound students’ attitudes.
“I feel that a teacher can really make or break a classroom experience, especially if a student really doesn’t want to be there in the first place,” Shock said.
Shock has had experiences when the teacher is doing a great job, and others when he feels the teacher is incompetent. He feels that the teacher is more important in the learning process than the student, but not everyone feels the same way.
“I get asked a lot, ‘What am I going to use this for?’” said NS science and math teacher John Sadler. “Yes, you will not use a lot of what you will learn in high school, but it all goes back to preparing students for life once they graduate high school.”
Sadler sees that many students only do the minimum effort to receive a satisfactory letter grade, and he believes if students were more engaged a better learning environment would result because of that. He also believes that the main purpose of education should be more than pursuing a grade.
“The main purpose of high schools is to build a base,” Sadler said. “You may not enjoy a subject, which can be good, it shows students what they may or may not like to do when they graduate. If you enjoy a subject, great, pursue that passion.”
Sadler has seen that when students find and follow an interest or passion, engaging themselves, inside or outside of school they progress much more rapidly and enthusiastically through the subjects related to their interests, and even through some the the subjects not directly related to their interests. Other instructors feel similarly.
“It is the student’s job to engage in the classroom,” said Snow College psychology professor Nick Marsing. “Some teachers are like the adults on Charlie Brown, talking to the point where we just automatically tune them out. Others are really engaging and charismatic. Regardless, it is still the student’s responsibility to bring a growth mindset and a willingness to learn the material.”
Marsing feels that students being engaged can do more for them than any amount of helpful teachers can.
Determining who is more important in the learning process seems like an exercise in futility, we can point fingers at one another day in and day out and nothing will change. Rather, why don’t students and teachers alike try to improve, both for their own sake and for the sake of helping NS foster these types of collaboration and communication attitudes.
