Whenever I start a new unit, some students consistently ask, “Why do we have to learn this?” How should I respond?
—Kevin, District of Columbia
“Why are we studying this?” “What good will this do me?” I know some teachers who enjoy the challenge of being asked questions like these and others who consider them to be disrespectful or stall tactics (and from some students they may be). But I must confess I was a questioner in school. If we were studying a new topic or starting an activity, I needed to find out (or figure out) what the point was, beyond getting a grade or learning something for a test. As a teacher, it was interesting to approach the question from another perspective.
It’s easy to answer “because”—“because it will be on the test,” “because it’s in the textbook,” or “because it’s in the standards”—and move on with the lesson. I’ve heard a teacher tell a class a topic was boring, but had to be covered for the test. I suspect those students had little interest in that unit. Answering with the cliché “you’ll need this later in life” is inadequate, given the fact information is readily available electronically and we can’t predict what careers and interests our students will have in their future.
Sometimes I would look at a topic and ask myself: What is the reason for spending time on this topic? How can I make it interesting? How does it connect with or build on what the students already know? Does it set the stage for future learning? How could the topic relate to real-life events or to other subject areas? How can I help students personalize this information?
Some students enjoy science, and their interest is independent of what the teacher does. A poor teacher would probably not discourage their interest in science. But a good teacher can make any topic interesting and relevant by using thought-provoking demonstrations or activities, multimedia, a variety of instructional strategies, cooperative learning, and opportunities for students to express their creativity.
As part of a project, I once conducted some focus group interviews with high school students. One of the questions was “Did you ever think that a topic in class was going to be boring, but it turned out to be really interesting?” The students responded positively and we followed up with the question “What made the topic interesting to you?” All of the students said that it was something the teacher did that changed their minds—the teacher’s enthusiasm for the topic, the teacher sharing a personal interest or experience with the topic, the teacher assigning interesting and challenging projects, or the teacher helping them make connections between the topic and their own experiences and interests.
One thing that may “hook” students is to introduce the unit with essential questions focused on a big idea or a theme as the purpose. During each lesson, revisit the questions, connecting any new content or experiences. For example, an earth science unit could focus on “How does the surface of the earth change over time?” As processes such as plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, or asteroid impact are studied, the teacher guides the students to connect the new learning with the questions. If the questions are posted in the classroom or in the students’ science notebooks, they have a constant reminder of the unit’s focus. Eventually, as they understand the unit’s purpose, students may come up with their own questions and learning goals.