When we think back on our education, I’m sure many of us can recall lessons that never seemed to end, lectures where the clock seemed to have stopped and concepts that left us utterly confused no matter how many times the teacher tried to explain. Equally, I’m sure we can all recall lessons where time seemed to fly and before we knew it the end of lesson bell rang, or the lecture hall seats sprung into their upright position as we stood to leave! What was the difference?
The simple answer is that it all comes down to the ability of the educator to make the topic engaging. A skilled educator can make even the driest subject exciting and engaging and I could devote a series of blog posts to the wide range of methods available, but fundamental to all is the need to engage your students directly with the subject matter being delivered. That engagement can range from use of good old-fashioned props, to group tasks and collaborative activities, to relating concepts to the interests and everyday lives of students.
This is why at the Global Geography Academy we break up all our tutoring sessions with regular use of, for example, online quizzes and games, group and individual contributions to shared online boards and demonstration with physical props by the tutor via webcam. Learning should be meaningful fun for students and if they are having fun they will actively engage and if they are actively engaging they will accelerate their learning.
For the educator, engaged students who are actively learning brings immense fulfilment, especially when student academic performance improves as a result; it really is a win-win situation!
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