7/09/2010 |
(en una verdadera perspectiva global)
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Practical ways to improve our teaching
As discussed in Part 2, there are many practices teachers can adopt to better prepare our students for the world of work. Here, we will examine practical approaches to the following important considerations:
· How to modify our delivery method in the classroom
· How to get our students actively involved.
· How to modify our teaching practices to better reflect the world of work.
· How to provide students opportunities to be empowered?
Lecture vs. Discussion
Which one would you rather be a part of: an hour-long, scripted lecture delivered by a teacher standing at the front of the classroom (complete with the same, dusted off, yellow notes used in years past), or, a lively discussion involving 10 or 15 students, sitting in a circle that includes the facilitator, the teacher, in which no one can foresee what the next question will be?
The way you answered is most likely the same way our students would answer. They don't want to be bored to death with another old-fashioned, one-directional, stand-at-the-front-of-the-room type of lecture—and neither would we.
Students WANT to be active learners
Why should we try to involve our students in discussion? It's important to engage learners to stimulate critical thinking. Critical thinking occurs when we entice students to challenge what they are learning--it leads to more developed understanding of the content. Our job is to facilitate these dynamic discussions and direct them toward our lesson’s goals.
We should not minimize the fact that dynamic classrooms are more enjoyable, stimulating, and possibly even more fun for students (AND teachers!). More importantly, if your students are actively engaged and “get into” the discussion, they will be much more likely to learn and retain what you want them to know.
Individual vs. Team
The business world has not made it a big secret that they are looking for people who can work well together. For the majority of jobs out there today, businesses require a higher level of interaction with coworkers than was necessary in the past.
Are we stuck in the past?
Many of our traditional teaching methods tend to focus on the individual, but if the world of work needs employees who can effectively participate in a team environment, then we need to adopt ways of teaching that will produce this type of worker. Fortunately, with only a modest amount of creativity, we can transform our existing individual-focused activities into group or team-centered activities.
Make the transformation from “individual” to “team”
Before dividing up your class into groups and leading them in a handholding rendition of Kum ba yah, it’s best to begin with some type of teambuilding activity. To effectively work as a cohesive team, it’s helpful to become familiar with one’s teammates first.
In the work-based learning program I coordinate, I take my class of students on a field trip to a “Team Leadership” course. (It’s one of the biggest highlights of the year!) They receive professional direction on how to work together and on the importance of being a dependable teammate.
If such an opportunity is not available to you, another option is an exciting, in-class activity called “Tower Building.” (Click here to view the Tower Building activity.) This activity provides a golden opportunity to teach students about group dynamics and about the impact dynamics have on developing effective work teams. It’s neatly wrapped into a short, intense, team competition. Students love doing it!
Create your own fun scenario
It’s easy to transform one of your existing activities into a team-focused activity. My students plan a business trip. The project used to be done individually, but now they do it using a team approach—It’s our adaptation of the popular TV show, “The Apprentice.” (Click here to view the “Business Trip” activity.) For a fun twist, have a school administrator (ideally the disciplinarian your students fear and disdain!) play the say-it-like-you-see-it, tough guy role of Donald Trump. And, yes, one team will hear the words, “You’re hired!”
It’s time to make the change
The stereotypical accountant who sits in his cubical crunching numbers all day no longer exists. Instead, she now must be a critical thinker, a problem solver, and most importantly, she must be able to communicate these ideas to her fellow colleagues who might be on her management team. We need to continue to search for ways to modify activities to help develop the teamwork skills necessary for the 21st century.
Project based vs. worksheet based
Good teachers will lead their students to desired outcomes. There are many routes that are equally effective in getting from Point A to Point B. The beauty of teaching is that we teachers have the opportunity to use our talents and strengths to reach Point B in whatever way we know is best.
“Traditional” teachers may tend to rely heavily on worksheets, quizzes, and tests to teach and evaluate student learning, but project based activities, generally speaking, are more likely to mimic real world situations than worksheets. This isn’t to say memorizing things or assigning lists of problems doesn’t have its place, but even in math classrooms, the emphasis has evolved into applying knowledge once basic concepts are understood.
Schools in the U.S. have done a good job of getting away from having students memorize and regurgitate facts, but we still have many areas we can improve on. One thing we can do is take our one-dimensional worksheets and repackage those same teaching points into project-based assignments. Projects, more so than drill-and-kill worksheets, can better mimic the way knowledge will be applied once students enter the world of work.
It is worthy to acknowledge the mounting pressure teachers face as lawmakers increasingly legislate education. While the move to standardized testing may have the unwanted effects of forcing teachers to “teach to the test,” we need to meet the challenge of finding ways to make our teaching relevant—project-based activities accomplish that.
Empower your students!
“Empowerment” has become a common buzzword in the American business culture. In the 1970s and 1980’s Americans watched many Japanese companies (particularly auto manufacturers) outperform their American counterparts. We learned that one of the key differences in our business cultures was that the Japanese style was based on quality improvements that were greatly achieved by empowering front-line employees. Eventually, American companies adopted many of these same principles and embraced the concept of empowerment. The widely accepted business practice of empowering can be readily applied in classrooms.
The basic concept of empowerment, which holds true in both business and educational environments, is that the more input employees/students have on the tasks they perform and the conditions around them, the better they will perform. They are more likely to take personal pride in their work, more likely to feel that their work has meaning, and their overall attitudes are more positive. All of these factors contribute to higher efficiency, fewer mistakes, and lower rates of absenteeism—the same types of goals desired in education.
One negative aspect of empowerment in both business and educational settings is that it can take longer to make decisions, thereby having a negative drag on efficiency. For example, in a business where one autocratic manager makes most decisions, little time is required. No consensus building needs to take place when there’s only one vote. Once a group of workers/students is empowered to formulate and implement solutions, though, additional time is needed.
Teachers must recognize this delicate balance—ultimately, we must weigh the benefits of empowerment vs. the need for efficiency in each project, assignment, or task we ask students to complete. Like anything, there is an appropriate time and place.
How can students be empowered?
Students (and businesspeople alike) can be empowered in many different ways. Some of them can be very simple. Here is a practical example:
Classroom management—At the beginning of the semester, rather than developing your own set of classroom expectations and “forcing” these on your students, empower the class to brainstorm their own set of classroom rules and consequences. From experience, I know students are usually much tougher on themselves than the teacher would have been.
Of course, as the supreme authority on all issues, you must always be clear that you reserve the right to override these student-derived expectations as you see fit. It’s important to intervene only in extreme circumstances so as not to undermine the good will that was created by your willingness to empower.
One of the primary fears that inhibit some teachers from trying to empower their students is that they think they will lose authority in some way. This is most definitely not the case. If anything, students will see you in a different light. One in which they have increased respect for their teacher as someone who understands them…and they might even label you as “cool!”
Try implementing some of the practical approaches above to better prepare your students for the world of work. They are easy to implement, they are effective, and they can make teaching more enjoyable for you and your students!
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Part 4 of this series emphasizes the importance of getting our students and thinking about career options. You’ll see how work-based learning programs give students the opportunity to “test drive” career areas and gain invaluable real world skills.
(To review Part 1 click here, to review Part 2 click here)
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