Many teachers are inspired to become educators because of experiences they had in the classroom as a student. This is not the case for all teachers or prospective teachers, and it is not the case for me. To be clear, throughout my education, I have had many wonderful teachers who have both inspired and supported me. However, my high school chemistry teacher did not inspire me to become a chemistry teacher. During my first trimester of high school chemistry, at the end of 2019, I distinctly remember a class period in which the entire class was asleep, except me and a few other students, who likely wished they were asleep. Even the teacher seemed bored. He was lecturing on something I don’t remember, but I do remember the response from the class: boredom.
Even with innovative instructional techniques and high
pressure for improvement in every facet of education, teachers can contribute
to this problem without realizing it. It can be easy to have the same structure
for each class, and some teachers might feel that there is no other way to
teach their subject. But with too much repetition, even a more engaging
approach, like a flipped classroom, can get boring. Boredom is often an
overlooked emotion in classrooms because it is easy to blame the student; It is
easy to think that they should just pay more attention, or put more effort in,
or that they have such a short attention span because they watch too much
TikTok.
Many scientific studies say that boredom decreases intrinsic
motivation and interest, which is something I have experienced as a student. In
general, researchers tend to think that boredom in the classroom contributes to
overall negative emotions experienced by students in school. They aren’t
interested in what they’re learning, so they don’t see the value of putting forth
any effort or paying attention. And if they don’t put forth any effort or pay
any attention, they don’t learn.
Boredom can, however, be a useful feedback tool for teachers.
Boredom shows teachers that the students aren’t learning anymore. If a teacher
notices this signal and responds accordingly, they can often reengage their students
and regain the classroom’s overall focus. The problems arise when teachers ignore
the boredom signal, and when they continue the same instruction, which further
disengages the students.
One way to fight boredom and to respond to the students’
signals is to provide variation in instruction. For example, using the
previously-mentioned innovative and research-based techniques is a great way to
accomplish variation. Similarly, providing activities and opportunities for
collaboration can also help. Additionally, varying classroom instruction also allows
students to learn in a variety of ways. Rather than focusing on one method of
learning, providing varied instruction engages students in a multitude of ways,
including vocal, visual, and kinesthetic. This more holistic approach is more
likely to be effective in engaging all students and solidifying the knowledge
you’re trying to learn.
Another way to fight boredom is to shift to a student-led
approach and incorporating choice into the classroom. Choice can be an
important tool because it gives students autonomy and ownership over their education.
Teachers can incorporate choice in many ways, including “choice boards,” in
which different options are available for learning, or assignments, or
practice, or whatever the teacher wants. For example, a student could have the
option to learn content by listening to a podcast, reading articles, or watching
videos. This gives students the opportunity to learn how they want to,
tailoring their education to their specific strengths or feelings. In their
book The Shift to Student Led, educators Catlin R. Tucker and Katie
Novak compare student-led learning to a coffee shop. At Starbucks, there are so
many options of drinks to choose from that the customer can order what fits
their needs at that time. The same is true in a student-led classroom. Students
can choose what path will benefit them most. If students are in charge of their
learning, so they are no longer observers, but active learners.
Boredom is a normal part of life -- and can sometimes even
be beneficial -- but it is important that teachers recognize and respond to
boredom in the classroom to reengage students. By doing so, educators have the
power to make education more interesting, which puts the responsibility of
learning on the student and makes each student’s education more impactful.
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/189494588.pdf
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-015-9301-y
https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3318396.3318409
https://onlineteaching.umich.edu/articles/the-myth-of-learning-styles/
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/17/01/bored-out-their-minds
Tucker, Caitlin R, and Katie Novak. The Shift to
Student-Led. Impress, LP, 1 June 2022.
Emily Nikolaus
No comments:
Post a Comment