Education is an ongoing process of understanding concepts and things around us which constitutes the way of life. Since formal learning occurs more in classrooms, there comes a need to ensure that the lessons taught to students are made of use. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to make learning relevant to students.
Here are some ways by which they can make the learning taught in class relevant to their students-
1.Giving real-world examples - As important as it is to teach students about various technicalities of a lesson, it is also equally important to connect them with real-world examples which students can understand. Examples can be either from their personal lives or a real story they heard from someone else. These examples help keep students interested and focused in class.
This apart, Teachers can encourage students to bring in real world examples and other learning material which will help them assist teaching in class. Encouraging them to bring newspaper articles and magazines is also another way to encourage them to participate in the learning process.
2.Hands-on learning - Instilling the use of hands-on learning in classrooms is another great way for teachers to involve and help their students to learn better. Since most students are tactile learners, a teacher can try to provide them with objects and other resources that enable them to learn quickly.
3.Organising field trips - A teacher can also try to organise field trips that have educational objectives. Field trips may help students organise the relevance of information given in the book and provide a setting for informal learning.
4.Inviting guest speakers – Teachers can invite guest speakers to address the students in class. Guest speakers help provide a different angle and dimension to learning and also give out details on information that maybe useful to the ‘outside world’. They also provide a different view on education which the teachers can use in their future lessons.
5.Project-based learning - A teacher may try to provide project-based learning which involves dealing with the community's problems. Project-based learning is multi-layered which includes research, community involvement and several other themes that are effective and motivating to students.
6.Conducting quizzes - A teacher may also quiz the students. Quizzing students in relevance to social issues, health and education, technology, etc., helps them devise creative and real-world answers that provides solutions to most questions today. Thus, it is important that teachers ask those questions which will involve students to think in real-world situations.
7.Using materials - Teachers can try to incorporate the use of primary resources that may be linked to the educational material provided. Using materials like photographs, graphs and other writing material that are associated with the lesson, enables the student to understand the topic better.
8.Providing rewards - Teachers can also motivate their students to learn better by providing them with real-world initiatives and rewards that help them to remain motivated to learn. Organising contests and competitions with prizes will encourage them to participate and involve themselves in the learning process in class.