I think that this will be my final post on this topic. I do want to address the issue of drop outs because it is an issue that is not resolving itself in Manitoba.
As the world as a whole is moving towards a reality where, most jobs, even entry level jobs, require a post-secondary education of some sort, it makes me wonder why there are so many drop outs. If this is actually the case, many teenagers are setting themselves up for failure.
In February of 2011, I had the chance to sit in on a round table discussion on CJOB about this exact same issue. There were a number of highly ranked people in various school divisions as well as the head of the Manitoba Teachers Society and the Minister of Education. The topic was entirely about high school drops, why they are dropping out and what can be done to prevent students from dropping out. It was a fascinating experience and I was very intimidated to share my thoughts. But, in the end, it went very well.
The discussion ultimately settled on the engagement and motivation of students. To be blunt, some classes, with some teachers are boring. There is not much stimulation in the environment from an intellectual perspective on many occasions. If students cannot guide their own learning, they may not care as much. This is where the idea of rote learning, worksheets, textbooks and readings make classes mundane. But, rote learning is easy to teach. It requires little effort in production, is straight forward for the students and requires little guidance. The class is the same for all the students in the room regardless of what their interests are.
Engaging students mean that we reach them where they are at. If they are expressing interest in current political events, find a way to weave that into your social studies class. If they find design interesting, find a way to make projects available to them where they can design a waterpark or a playground using skills that the learn in mathematics. If they are interested in book series based on Greek Mythology, teach a Greek Mythology unit in your English class. So, if it is that straightforward, then, why don`t more teachers employ this type of teaching method? Well, that is easy. It is not as straightforward as it may seem. It does take more effort and your course takes deviations every year as a result. Plus, for this to work, a teacher needs to get to know their students. You cannot plan lessons around the interests of the students if you do not know your students...and getting to know your students takes time!
I have seen students walk out of class fascinated by what they had learned. They were engaged, they were interested, but most importantly, they learned! I have seen it in multiple classes...and it never fails. When they want to know more about what you have to say suddenly, behaviour issues disappear and talking reduces to a minimum and students actually do their work and get it in on time. That is when you know you are doing well. But again, it takes a lot of extra work.
So, what does this all have to do with drop outs? Well, that is where the discussion began during the round table just over a year ago. The issues raised above were discussed at length. But, eventually it moved into a discussion about attention span and artificial realities.
The attention span of students is diminishing rapidly. Due to the increase of technology at the disposal of students, they cannot focus their attention for long if there is no technology for them to use. They do not like to sit and take notes, the do not like to sit and read and get distracted by everything around them. BUT, all of these issues can be quickly combated with some of the strategies listed above...everything ultimately comes down to creating interactive and engaging lessons.
Sometimes, it does not matter how interesting or engaging a lesson can be. Some students make choices to work instead of go to class. Some students choose to cut class to get high or get drunk. Some students have no one encouraging them to get to class, others could really care less. Some feel that no one will miss them if they do not go to class. Others feel they need to be working to help mom or dad pay the bills. There is no doubt that is no shortage of reasons why students choose to be away from school, but, the reality is, that without that high school diploma, life will always be a little more difficult for them.
Some students feel that their teacher is just their for their job, to get their paycheck and take their vacation. But, there are some teachers out there (more than just a few) that are genuinely interested in the success and well being of their students. Those are the teachers that go the extra mile in their lesson planning to create the lessons that will make the students want to come. And, if there is one class that a student REALLY wants to attend, they will make an effort to get to school to be there for that one class. Then, because they are already at school, they may stick around for the rest of the day.
The students that concern me the most however, are the students that are brilliant, but, drop out because the material being covered is not challenging. Although students constantly complain about the amount of work or the difficulty of work, students thrive on challenge. Students grow through challenge. The easy and mundane work is often what is left alone and left undone. It is the challenging work that allows self expression that gets completed. This is another HUGE reason why teachers need to get to know their students. If the teacher really knows where their students are at academically, they can appropriately challenge each student.
If you are a teacher, I challenge you to be the one who brings the student to school when they REALLY do not want to be there.
As the world as a whole is moving towards a reality where, most jobs, even entry level jobs, require a post-secondary education of some sort, it makes me wonder why there are so many drop outs. If this is actually the case, many teenagers are setting themselves up for failure.
In February of 2011, I had the chance to sit in on a round table discussion on CJOB about this exact same issue. There were a number of highly ranked people in various school divisions as well as the head of the Manitoba Teachers Society and the Minister of Education. The topic was entirely about high school drops, why they are dropping out and what can be done to prevent students from dropping out. It was a fascinating experience and I was very intimidated to share my thoughts. But, in the end, it went very well.
The discussion ultimately settled on the engagement and motivation of students. To be blunt, some classes, with some teachers are boring. There is not much stimulation in the environment from an intellectual perspective on many occasions. If students cannot guide their own learning, they may not care as much. This is where the idea of rote learning, worksheets, textbooks and readings make classes mundane. But, rote learning is easy to teach. It requires little effort in production, is straight forward for the students and requires little guidance. The class is the same for all the students in the room regardless of what their interests are.
Engaging students mean that we reach them where they are at. If they are expressing interest in current political events, find a way to weave that into your social studies class. If they find design interesting, find a way to make projects available to them where they can design a waterpark or a playground using skills that the learn in mathematics. If they are interested in book series based on Greek Mythology, teach a Greek Mythology unit in your English class. So, if it is that straightforward, then, why don`t more teachers employ this type of teaching method? Well, that is easy. It is not as straightforward as it may seem. It does take more effort and your course takes deviations every year as a result. Plus, for this to work, a teacher needs to get to know their students. You cannot plan lessons around the interests of the students if you do not know your students...and getting to know your students takes time!
I have seen students walk out of class fascinated by what they had learned. They were engaged, they were interested, but most importantly, they learned! I have seen it in multiple classes...and it never fails. When they want to know more about what you have to say suddenly, behaviour issues disappear and talking reduces to a minimum and students actually do their work and get it in on time. That is when you know you are doing well. But again, it takes a lot of extra work.
So, what does this all have to do with drop outs? Well, that is where the discussion began during the round table just over a year ago. The issues raised above were discussed at length. But, eventually it moved into a discussion about attention span and artificial realities.
The attention span of students is diminishing rapidly. Due to the increase of technology at the disposal of students, they cannot focus their attention for long if there is no technology for them to use. They do not like to sit and take notes, the do not like to sit and read and get distracted by everything around them. BUT, all of these issues can be quickly combated with some of the strategies listed above...everything ultimately comes down to creating interactive and engaging lessons.
Sometimes, it does not matter how interesting or engaging a lesson can be. Some students make choices to work instead of go to class. Some students choose to cut class to get high or get drunk. Some students have no one encouraging them to get to class, others could really care less. Some feel that no one will miss them if they do not go to class. Others feel they need to be working to help mom or dad pay the bills. There is no doubt that is no shortage of reasons why students choose to be away from school, but, the reality is, that without that high school diploma, life will always be a little more difficult for them.
Some students feel that their teacher is just their for their job, to get their paycheck and take their vacation. But, there are some teachers out there (more than just a few) that are genuinely interested in the success and well being of their students. Those are the teachers that go the extra mile in their lesson planning to create the lessons that will make the students want to come. And, if there is one class that a student REALLY wants to attend, they will make an effort to get to school to be there for that one class. Then, because they are already at school, they may stick around for the rest of the day.
The students that concern me the most however, are the students that are brilliant, but, drop out because the material being covered is not challenging. Although students constantly complain about the amount of work or the difficulty of work, students thrive on challenge. Students grow through challenge. The easy and mundane work is often what is left alone and left undone. It is the challenging work that allows self expression that gets completed. This is another HUGE reason why teachers need to get to know their students. If the teacher really knows where their students are at academically, they can appropriately challenge each student.
If you are a teacher, I challenge you to be the one who brings the student to school when they REALLY do not want to be there.
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