Stop Boring Students

Stop Boring Students

As a big sister, a tutor, and a nanny I am no stranger to helping with homework. I have helped in all types of classes. One thing I have noticed is that the person I am helping always seems uninterested. It is not that they do not really understand, but instead they just do not want to do it. Another thing I have noticed is that I always was and am helping with worksheets or problems out of the book,  and have never been asked to assist someone on a project, study for an exam or help with a paper. After a discussion in class I have begun to realize that the students understand what they are doing, they are simply just bored and tired of repetition.

Handing out worksheets and book problems are boring, never seem fun and by default students can become uninterested. Believe me, even some of the best students will become bored and unintrigued, and instead of changing it up, teachers continue to assign the same generic things. Once a student is bored, they mentally check out. They no longer want to come to class, and they start to become more interested in the minute hand on the clock, then what is going on in class. The homework they have is the last thing they want to do, and they will start to put it off until the last minute, or just copy someone else’s homework.  Turned off students will shut down in and out of the classroom. This can make a teacher’s job more difficult as they lose control over their students. A boring classroom is no fun for the students or the teacher.

As a future educator this is alarming to me. I do not want my students bored and looking forward to the end of my class before it even begins. There are a lot of different ways to assess our students that do not learn and grow from continuously using  worksheets. I understand that worksheets can be helpful and are a good way to assess students progress, but use them in moderation. Instead, try doing something more interesting to get the students involve in their learning. Teachers can use fun tools like Kahoots or online projects. Do activities, ask students questions in class rather than on a homework assignment. By doing interesting things like this, students become engaged in the class. It has been shown that students who are engaged and interested in class, will learn and retain more than a student who is not. Instead of continuously handing out worksheets, teachers should continuously change up their classroom’s learning tools to help assess students, get them engaged, and get them to learn and retain the material.

As a future educator and a past student, I know that just handing out worksheets or book problems will not work. Instead, change up your ways of assessment. Use fun activities and other forms to keep class interesting and engaging. Your students will appreciate it.