Unsigned: The Modern Education System Needs Updating

Students don’t learn well under the same, repetitive teaching style…

   Students are tired of hearing the same monotonously-structured class day after day. One day bleeds into another, and the same lesson plan is repeated daily. Education doesn’t have to be so mind-numbing. If teachers took into consideration that students learn in different ways and included more diversity in classwork, the heightened student engagement will lead to a more eager and higher-achieving students.

   It’s clear that students don’t learn well under the same, repetitive teaching style day after day. One study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America showed that students in lecture-based classes are one hundred and fifty percent more likely to fail than students in a class that uses active learning tactics (science.org). To begin to accommodate different types of learning, one has to first know what those kinds of learning are. According to Bay Atlantic University, there are four types of learning: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and reading/writing. Visual learners benefit from information being broken into palatable graphs and diagrams, while auditory learners do best with group discussions and recordings of class lectures. Kinesthetic learners prefer tactile experience, and reading/writing learners opt for written assignments and descriptions (bau.edu). Although everyone is a combination of the four, teachers should realize that not everyone fits into the same learning category, so by combining different teaching styles, students will undoubtedly perform better.

   It’s a fact that students do best when the teacher provides information in multiple different formats. According to the Australian Christian College, “The most effective teachers can use different styles depending on what they are teaching and the goals for their students. For example, they might use a combination of computer-based activities, lectures and group problem-solving to cover an element of their curriculum” (acc.edu.au). Some teachers at UC High already teach in a way which incorporates all different kinds of learners. Biomedical Teacher Leslie Wymer said, “At the most I will teach for 15-20 minutes, and then the kids will ‘do’ something to show me they understand the concepts. I never lecture for an entire period. We have a lot of hands-on labs in my classes as well as projects, and real life case studies.” Because of this inclusive teaching style, more students feel a desire to learn since the lesson is more palatable.

   It’s understandable that some teachers won’t want to change the way they’ve taught; after continuously relaying information to countless students for years (even decades), teachers have figured out their own ways to deliver the breadth of an entire course within the span of just one school year. Teachers are given an impressive amount of lessons and concepts to teach to classes and ensure they’re on the right track before the end of a school year, so there is credit due. However, especially after a year and a half of entirely online classes, students need more engagement to feel connected to what they’re learning. If students are going to class curious to find out what they’re going to learn, school becomes a much more gratifying environment.

   School is meant to be a place with a creative environment. When there’s a student population that doesn’t share the exact same learning styles, it can be difficult to provide meaningful lessons that get everyone on board. Wymer continued, “I am extremely passionate about the [biomedical] field, and I try to bring a lot of positive energy, humor, and humility to my classes.” When teachers love to teach, and channel their passion into a way that captures and captivates students, all parties end up satisfied.