USE REALITY-BASED EDUCATION TO UP THE ENGAGEMENT LEVELS!
Reality-based education is a term I came up with several years ago, and it speaks to using the real worlds of the students to teach the subject matter. If a student is taught subject matter only with the thought of doing well in the course --to what end has that student learned the material? But when the student is shown how the subject of the course relates to his or her world of employment and personal life that two-dimensional course material becomes three-dimensional -- and the student has a much better chance of retaining the information because it has now touched beyond merely the mind, it has touched the student's life far beyond the course.
And here's a suggestion: in a discussion thread have students talk about the subject of the course as it relates to their lives outside the course. Students love doing this, and you'll get more engagement and the students will have a better understanding of how the course relates to their lives.
I agree with this, Errol, to an extent. While I agree with the importance of connecting course content to the 'real world,' sometimes it's all I can do to get through a semester's worth of course content, and the added stress of making it relevant to students' lives can be the last straw. I teach literature, so topics/ideas often connect very clearly and easily, or not at all.
One thing I do that is a big hit is have students do a treasure hunt during the semester, called "author sightings." I give extra credit for students bringing in magazines, clips from TV, or any appearance of our authors in popular media. Especially when we study authors like Ernest Hemingway or Virginia Woolf, the different take on these figures by various media is quite fascinating.
I would like to hear some more concrete examples of how teachers connect their class content to the "real world." Does anyone have any stories?
Errol,
Real and relevant course designs are extremely effective motivational techniques for the students as well. This is the constructivist learning view, to guide students to connect their new learning with previous knowledge and experience to provide effective learning environments. I have also found this to be effective in my classes.
Herbert Brown III
