Photo by: woodleywonderworks
One recent teaching trend that has been cropping up in many classrooms of late is the concept of ‘The Flipped Classroom’ and the use of more project-based learning activities in schools.
Experiential teaching methods, such as these, have been enabled thanks to the increase of educational technologies, which have made a huge impact on classroom learning over the last couple of years.
The traditional model of the teacher reciting facts at the front of the classroom is no longer a paradigm that accurately reflects how learning is achieved in the modern world. Students now carry the world’s information in their pockets and they have learned naturally the importance of questioning, testing, and in some circumstances, criticising the information they absorb. This is why teaching techniques like the flipped classroom will become even more valuable to learners of the 21st Century; truly equipping them with the skills to navigate through the unpredictable and ever-changing information age we live in.
This post will outline some tips on how to bring your lessons into the real world in a way that will engage and motivate pupils to develop a lifelong love of learning.
Benefits of Experiential, Real-world Learning
The benefits of hands-on lesson plans, besides reflecting the nature of how information is now transmitted and absorbed, are as follows;
- Enables teachers and students to practice thinking across academic disciplinesin a way that feels organic and more akin to how learning is realised once the pupils have left formal education.
- Experiential, project-based learning opportunities can befit not only students, but the surrounding environment, local neighbourhood, or even a setting on a global scale- if said project addresses real-world issues within its content.
- For students who struggle to learn in the traditional way, having the opportunity to test and experiment at their own pace gives them the space and opportunity to put the information into their own context, thus aiding recall in a more relatable way than the simple memorisation of facts.
- Project-based learning encourages higher order thinking skills such as analysing, evaluating and creating, which therefore improves the students’ cognitive abilities.
- With collaborative exercises, students also learn methods of successful group communication, which will be applicable to them in the world of work.
- Organisational skills within pupils can be enhanced with project-based learning, as they will learn how to plan, meet deadlines and solve problems along the way.
Tips for Putting Lesson Plans into a Real-World Context
- Make it compelling – When planning project based lessons for your class, think of a compelling ‘theme’ or problem of which your pupils can relate to in their lives, then plan the learning activities and required learning objectives to tie in with that. Issues of social significance such as poverty, urban sustainability, human rights and health issues etc…work well for this and also serve to raise your pupils’ emotional intelligence as they develop empathy for those affected by the issues raised.
- Think across disciplines – For lessons like food technology, scientificprinciples can easily be incorporated into the lesson plans, as students learn what’s actually happening to their cake as it rises in the oven.
- Read a newspaper –Bring current events into your lessons, whenever a relevant story is applicable to the subject you teach. This will help your students discover the significance of what they’re learning, plus they will develop an appreciation for how information changes and develops within that field.
- Use technology to modernise textbooks –For subjects like English, where literature that is hundreds of years old is studied in great detail, getting the students to modernise the set texts is a great way to stimulate their creativity, whilst simultaneously developing their skills in ICT. For example, you can get them in groups to convert a section of Shakespearean dialogue into modern vernacular, using video creation and animation apps like iMovie.
- Real life materials – By getting your students to study from real-life examples, they automatically get a feel for how the subject applies to them in a real life context. For example, if you’re looking at budgets in mathematics, then you may want to set a project that involves the pupils trawling through catalogues in order for them to compile a budget for everything they need to redecorate a house. Or for food technology again, get them to examine all of the hidden ingredients that go into their favourite snack foods.
- Get them to present their findings – In major projects, which may take weeks for the students to complete, get your pupils to present their findings and creations to people in the community who will appreciate their efforts. For example, if your class have worked hard on a conservation project, then invite a local wildlife expert to see their ideas. Doing this will encourage the students to take pride in their project and give it 100%.
- Flexible marking – just like in real life, not everything can be assessed in black and white terms. Therefore for creative projects, developing a more flexible marking system will enable you to accurately assess your pupils’ attainment for your given assignment. For more information on how you can do this, check out this post.
If you have any more pointers on how to make your subject into a real-life context, please share your ideas with us below. And for more information on outstanding lesson planning for Key Stage Three Pupils, check this great resource out.