Getting Students Engaged with Meaningful "Work"

Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege of observing several outstanding lessons.  These lessons were outstanding (in my opinion) because the teachers deliberately planned learning experiences that provided students with a high degree of choice and engaged them in learning that was worthy of their time.   I observed students writing short stories on topics they chose, students researching why certain books (that students selected) were banned by the Church and supporting or denouncing the ban, and students "pitching" their topics for memoirs to classmates.  In each lesson, students were clearly excited to be doing the "work" that the teachers assigned and truly invested in the outcome.  These lessons involved very little direct teacher instruction, did not require students to read any textbooks, and did not have students completing worksheets.  This leads me to believe that we must consider the need to reduce (if not eliminate entirely) these "traditional" teaching strategies and increase the opportunities for students to take ownership of their learning.


Take a look at this video for examples of students engaged in meaningful learning.