Creating Lessons that Students can Apply in Real World

     Using real-world examples and tackling real-world problems in the classroom can make learning more meaningful to students. And it can help spark excitement in gaining knowledge about important issues.

There is research to support the value of authenticity when teachers use real-world problems and scenarios. Not only does it make the lesson more meaningful for students but they become properly engaged. They also become more aware of the choices they could make in society.

Here are a few teaching strategies to bring the real world into your classroom. The first thing students can do is to watch the news and find one article that really stands out the most to them in particular. Then, they can do more research and do a project on the news event that occurred. For example, the teachers can find out how the news article connects or relates to what they are teaching in the classroom.  For example, news about weather forecasts and storms can be related to science lessons in class. Political news can be related to political science, civics or social studies. Current situations such as the Covid 19 Pandemic or the Black Lives Matter movement or police brutality are all important lessons for both outside and inside the classroom to learn. This helps students realize that these are issues that can really happen outside the classroom and are not just events they read about in a textbook. It also captures students’ focus better to actually talk about current news events compared to just reading from a textbook.

Teachers can also invite guest speakers to the classroom or plan a field trip to a historical place or somewhere that will teach students a lesson outside the classroom such as a museum or farm. Teachers can also simulate a real-life experience inside the classroom by having students role play or dress up and acting as the historical characters that they learn about in their textbooks. Or, if your educational institution has a Virtual Reality headset available, students can use that as well. This way, students can actually feel as if they are going through what the historical figures did or see live news events happening through the lens or others’ perspectives. Teachers can also give students a real tangible lesson to solve. They can ask students to look at today’s issues with the environment or government such as climate change, pollution, or poverty and have them come up with solutions. This makes a very interesting lesson plan that will keep students engaged and focused in class. Teachers can also have students look at their school’s vending machines and think about what healthy food choices could be offered as alternatives to the unhealthy food options and the impact it could have on health, moods, and impact of life. Bringing real world experiences into the classroom brings an enriching experience for students that they are sure to never forget. Introducing real world topics into the class that students actually enjoy will help students to even improve their quality of learning, critical thinking skills, and grades.