Make Learning Part of Everyday Life

The ability to learn is one trait that makes humans unique. It also allows us to thrive within our lifetimes. Unfortunately, many students wouldn't say learning tops their list of favorite activities. But learning could move to the top of the charts with a little help from a teacher or parent.

There are three keys to teaching, according to Phillips Petroleum Geochemist Ben Powell, "Make the subject matter fun, make it relevant to everyday life, and make it non-threatening."

Have your students seen one of the recent dinosaur movies? Did they think it was fun? Discuss the science and math involved in making the movie. How were the dinosaurs created? How do we know what they looked like? Was a computer graphics program used to create the special effects? What tricks were used to show us the size and scale of the dinosaurs?

According to Powell, hands-on learning approaches work very well. The "Eureka Syndrome" can entice a student's interest in learning. "If the light bulb comes on for the students because they performed the experiment themselves they will remember it for a lifetime," he says.

Powell suggests using examples from everyday life to bring relevance to the classroom. For example, do you know why your car needs antifreeze in the summertime? For many teenagers, talk about cars is a real attention getter!

The final key is to make the subject matter non-threatening. The sciences often seem intimidating; long latin words, lists of dates and figures to memorize, etc. Here are some tips for bringing math and science closer to home:

Use classroom demonstrations or invite a local scientist to class. Better yet, arrange a field trip to see scientists in action.

Another option is utilizing the Internet to access scientists all over the world. Teachers can set up a chat session with scientists and allow students to have Q & A sessions.

It is important for students to understand that scientists not only are involved in the race for a cure for AIDS, but also were instrumental in the development of computer games and the student's favorite version of Coca-Cola. By bringing fun, relevance and non threatening subject-matter into the classroom, you can help your students learn one of life's most important skills - learning!