I highly recommend Simon Sineks' book "Start with Why" for all educators and administrators. It's a great book that dives into the reason why we do things, and how you can increase engagement and buy in, just by changing a few simple routines. In collaborating with a colleague, he suggested that I ask my students "Why are you learning this?". My initial reaction was that the students SHOULD know WHY they are learning something. But as I thought more about this question, I wondered 'Do the students really know WHY they are learning something?', or are they simply going through the movements and 'doing what they are told'. Does my lesson actually resonate and make an impact on the students? I set out on a mission: define the reason why, ask the students why they think they are learning the material, teach the material, then circle back around and ask the students again: why are you learning this? During my Nearpod presentation, I introduced the subject of our new unit: Banned Books. While introducing the topic, I had the students reflect on how this impacts them. Then I asked them "Why are you learning about Banned Books?" Here were the students responses: I told the students that it was okay if they 'didn't know' the reason why yet. But if they were in one of the 'I don't know' categories, then they were going to learn why it was important. Students felt comfortable with responding with "I don't know". It is an easy, low risk response. But what I did after they responded with "I don't know" is hold them accountable for their learning. They have identified something that they stated that they did not know, and they were going to learn about it. As I was going through the lesson, I reiterated the reason why it was important to learn about banned books, and what censorship does to us as a culture and how it impacts society. Most students were outraged that they would ban books. Some students even defended banning books who's content was not 'age appropriate' for certain libraries such as elementary school libraries. Then I asked the students if they have ever seen the show "Young Sheldon". The students said yes. I then asked them if they think that some of the books we discussed would be intellectually inappropriate for kid like Sheldon. The students agreed that if Sheldon could handle the material, and his parents were okay with him reading it, then he should be able to read it. Then I told them about absolute bans where students could face administrative action just for having a book in their possession. And in some countries like Venezuela, you could be imprisoned for 15 months for a reading a banned book. At the end of the lesson, I asked the same question to the students that I asked in the beginning of class: "Why are you learning about Banned Books?" Starting with Why helped the students identify what they did not know or understand, and helped guide the students to learning the reason behind why they were learning something. The material then became tangible and meaningful to the students. Students learned that they have a voice, and they are responsible for their own learning.
This was a great activity that I will be sure to repeat, especially when introducing new material to students.
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Have you tried a Digital Hall Pass in your classroom? It's easier than you think!!
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