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3 Ways to Turn Memorizers into

InquirersPosted In:Active learning,peer instruction,Smartphones in Classroom

3 Ways to Turn Memorizers into Inquirers

It can be tempting to rely on traditional lecture methods, especially when your

students seem to be doing well on their exams. But are your students really

learning, or are they simply memorizing? It happens to the best of us. In fact,

Harvard Professor Eric Mazurdescribeswhen he realized his high achieving

students weren’t really learning to think. So how can you break the cycle of

memorization? Interact with your students during lectures. Here’s how:

Update Socrates:If you want to turn your students into inquirers, why not first

inquire them? Thesocratic methodhas always been a great method of

engaging students. After all, why interrupt class to test knowledge, when you

can seamlessly integrate thought and assessment by asking questions within

the lecture. Now you can make the socratic method even more seamless by

integrating text comments into the socratic method. Alternate between asking

the entire classes and individuals questions to keep the whole class alert.

Add student Q & A day:In thistechnique, students drive the class with their

own questions once a week or twice a month. Let your students know that

they will be graded on the quantity and quality of their questions. This will

force your students to think critically, while allowing them to fill gaps in

knowledge. nClass can help you keep track of these questions and answers

more easily by virtually raising hands and collecting questions in a queue.

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Ask open-ended questions:Turn your students into inquirers by example. Little

questions can be nice throughout a lecture, by why not start or finish class

with a big thinker? You’ll show students the kind of questions they should be

asking while giving them a chance tothink critically. Tie in these open-ended

questions withexit tickets, a technique to integrate critical thinking into every

class period.

How to Stop Students Memorizingand Start Them Learning

by Johnson Kee

A challenge many teachers face is how to take the focus o memorization for

state and federal testing re!uirements and instead help students with life"long

learning# $rom as early as you can start taking tests% you&re taught the power of

rote learning# 'y simply repeating something and hammering it into your short"

term memory% you can get full marks#

(ne may argue that this is a crucial step in learning) how else are you going to

learn to spell *onomatopoeia+ without rote learning, This is true# This is not

what&s getting educating ad-ocates all riled up# .t&s the fact that the systempersists with this methodology all the way up until the college le-el that&s the

real problem# /hat this results in is a generation of *professional memorizers+

that can digest large amounts of information and regurgitate it back at you#

Howe-er% throw them a cur-e ball where they&re forced to think and they go into

system meltdown#

 To stop students from memorizing and set them on the path to start learning%

the change has to begin with the attitude towards teaching# Here are three

contrarian strategies to bring this about#

Make .t 0ele-ant to Them

 The great thing about children is they are primed to learn# They learn to walk by

watching us walk and from there they&ll keep absorbing information from their

surroundings% adding to their understanding of the world around them#

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(ne of the key reasons that they learn so well early on is because e-erything

they want to learn is rele-ant to them# /anting a better way to communicate

with us% they&ll start babbling# 1-entually% they&ll start talking# As they get older%

they&ll start de-eloping their own interests# .f rele-ance is the key% why not use it

to unlock their passion to learn,

$or e2ample% it&s ne-er too early to start the career talk# Say the little tacker is

only interested in baseball# They want to be a ma3or league baseball player# 4ou

show them the scorecard# 4ou e2plain to them why stats like batting a-erages%

plate appearances per strikeout and on"base percentage are important to

become a better baseball player# 4ou build the -ision that the ma3or leagues

won&t take them on if they don&t ha-e a strong grasp on maths# 4ou won&t be

able to stop them from learning their fractions#

.f They Think% They Learn5o you want a society of drones, Teach them to memorize and that&s what

you&-e got# /ithout thought and contemplation% you don&t ha-e an appreciation

for learning# This is the ne2t key paradigm shift to make# .t&s too easy to stand in

front of 67% uninspired children and blab on until the bell rings# .t&s harder to get

them thinking# The best teachers will do the latter#

.nstead of trying to boost a-erage grade results by force"feeding students the

information% gi-e them the !uestion and make them gi-e you the answer# Also%

there&s nothing to say that you can&t combine the 8rst tip with this one# 5oes

your student struggle with their essays, 5on&t talk about the /orld /ar .% talk

about bullies in the playground# 4ou&ll almost be able to see the light bulb switch

on abo-e their head#

 Turn the Tables

 This strategy is the most fun because it gi-es the power back to the students# .t

might make you sweat as the educator% but it&s a small cost to bear to ensure

that your students come into your classroom switched on and stay that way#

5esignate a day that the students become the teachers and throw !uestions at

you# As the teacher% you should theoretically know the answers to all their

!uestions% no matter how left"of"center they are# The only catch is that any

!uestion they ask will be e2aminable% so they ha-e to pay attention to each

other as well#

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 The add"on eect is that students will respect you% the teacher% because you

bring down that *authority wall+ between you and the students# .ronically% they&ll

look up to you more and take what you say to heart% instead of

begrudgingly obeying#

 To stop students from memorizing and to start them learning takes a bigattitudinal change from the educator&s point of -iew# 'y making it rele-ant to

them% gi-ing them situations to think about and turning the tables on yourself%

your students will be hard"pressed to 8nd a better teacher who makes learning

so fun#

http9::www#!uill#com:content:inde2:education:students"memorizing"learning:

How to Help Students

Make $riendsby Krista /olfe% ;uill#com <ontributing /riter

School% as it is% can already be a big enough struggle for some students when it

comes to learning# And although as a teacher you can help your students learn

the material to e2cel in their studies% teaching your kids how to make friends

may be 3ust as important to their growth and progression as lessons that in-ol-e

books and homework assignments# Here&s a list of strategies to help create

friendships and nurture bonds among students#

.ntroductions are Key

/hether it&s the 8rst day of school or a new addition to your class% ha-ing your

students say their names to each other with good eye contact and manners is a

good way to get the ball rolling# .f your students are old enough to read% you can

e-en ha-e them create and decorate fun name tagsas a way to e2press

themsel-es creati-ely to help tell *their+ personal story#

1ncourage ;uestions

/hat&s a better way to engage interaction with someone than to ask compelling

and relatable !uestions, 1ncouraging students to ask other students !uestions

such as what toys he or she likes to play with% their hobbies and if they can 3oin

in the game is a good start to building relationships among students# (pen"

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ended !uestions are the best for students to ask one another% since there isn&t a

simple one"word *yes+ or *no+ answer# .t encourages students to think about

their response and create con-ersation#

=layground =laymatesAs a teacher% you&re 3ust as much a na-igator in helping kids make friends as

you are an educator helping kids de-elop fundamentals and book"based

knowledge# Sometimes kids 3ust need to be steered in the right direction% and

they can take it from there# Suggesting acti-ities and:or games can help

students relate to one another% especially if you put them in smaller groups or

pairs to help make the bigger classroom less intimidating#

Show > Tell

Show > Tell is an ageless school tradition because it encourages students to

learn about each other while gi-ing e-ery student their own 8fteen seconds in

the limelight# A good impression during Show > Tell ?especially anytime pets are

in-ol-ed@you know it&s true is a sure way to get kids to interact and foster

budding friendships#

Le-erage Student /ork in

 4our 5ecoratingStudents lo-e seeing their own work on display# The same theory of e2citement

and pride when they show their parents their work% applies to the classroom@

only they get to see other studentsB work as well# This sense of ownership can

introduce collaboration and friendly competition among the class% especially in

terms of crafts and artwork#

 Theme 5ays

Learning and partying can be synonymous% contrary to popular belief# Ha-ingtheme days like *<lassroom 'each 5ay%+ *Tie"5ye Shirt Making 5ay+ and *$un

=et 5ay ?hey% if it isn&t broke% don&t 82 it+ can help encourage students to step

out of the realm of routine and away from their personal shells#

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As a teacher% your 3ob on paper may be teaching kids about reading% writing and

arithmetic but% to teach kids how to make friends is the behind"the"scenes work

that can really help kids grow and prosper socially% personally and academically#

How to .nspire <reati-ity in 4our Students

by Krista /olfe% ;uill#com <ontributing /riter

.f you&-e taken a college course in education recently% odds are good that you&re

familiar with 'loom&s Ta2onomy# At its core% 'loom&s Ta2onomy is a means of

assessing what speci8c lessons and acti-ities are asking of students# The le-els

of ta2onomy range from knowledge and comprehension ?i#e# rote memorization%

matching% or true"or"false !uestions to more comple2 thought processes like

synthesis and e-aluation% which re!uire students to adopt creati-e and uni!ue

approaches to open"ended !uestions#

<reati-e problem sol-ing and creati-e thinking skills ha-e always been an

important part of education# Across the board% it seems that more and more

teachers and students are aiming to incorporate higher le-el thought processes

in the classroom@thought processes that ask students to create and participate

in their learning# Cndoubtedly% the creati-e classroom helps students to e2press

themsel-es and problem sol-e with ingenuityDskills that are both personally

practical and marketable in the long term# So% what can teachers do toimplement a strong TL< ?teaching% learning and creating community, .&m so

glad you askedE

Fet <ounterintuiti-e

Stringently organizing the classroom seems like a funny way to incite creati-ity%

and yet% oddly enough% it&s one of the most eecti-e ways to do 3ust that#

(rganized classrooms pro-ide students with the structure that is necessary for

them to feel comfortable taking risks and using their creati-e thinking skills#Studies also indicate that student creati-ity Gourishes best when a student feels

that the classroom is a learning community#

(ne way to organize your classroom to optimize creati-ity and community is by

hangingpostersthat establish group norms and procedures# At the beginning of

the school year% ha-e students use markers or paint to create posters for the

classroom that stipulate what will be e2pected of them in that space# $or

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instance% ne2t to the clock% you might choose to hang a poster that says%

*0emember% you&re not e2cused until you hear% ha-e a nice day#&+ Ha-ing

students participate in creating class rules and -isual reminders of said rules

helps them to feel emotionally connected and in-ol-ed in their learning% which in

turn helps them to feel safe speaking up and taking creati-e risks#

0elin!uish <ontrol

.t&s long been the practice to dictate to students what acti-ities% tests or

assignments are most important% but what if we let students decide for

themsel-es what they -alue and how they learn, =ortfolio building allows

students to compile a purposeful collection of their work% which acts as a sort of

portrait of their accomplishments# 'y ha-ing students work on compiling

physical pieces or descriptions of acti-ities that they feel they did well on% you&re

gi-ing the student an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and self"e-aluate their work# Allowing students to decorate *portfolio bo2es+ that

showcase their uni!ue personality can make the portfolio building e2perience an

e-en more imaginati-e and personal process#

'e Manipulati-e

/hen in doubt% get students interacting with their en-ironment# (ne of the most

popular creati-e thinking acti-ities is to use manipulativesin the classroom that

inspire students to mo-e around% collaborate with their peers and think

di-ergently# Set up stations in the classroom that promote e2pressi-e freedom#

$or instance% one corner of the room can be the designated art area where

students can help themsel-es to arts and craft supplies) another corner can be a

stage where students can go to act out ideas# .ntegrate free time into instruction

when students can choose which station they&d prefer to work at# Fi-ing

students stimulating choices of how they&d like to learn helps them to identify

how they learn best and encourages them to in-enti-ely problem sol-e#