Teachers are constantly faced with the challenge of making their lessons exciting so their students will not lose interest during class. Some have improvised ways on how to get learners hooked on class lessons.
The Straits Times said high school teacher Joe Fatheree has experimented on using technology and hip-hop music to get the attention of his class. "Many of the students in my class at that time... saw little value in their education. School was something they endured instead of embraced," he explained.
The teacher, who has been an educator for 25 years, said he incorporated music in his literature lessons to help students connect to a subject which is hard to grasp and understand.
"I saw the rise of hip-hop as a way of doing just that," he told The Straits Times. Early hip hop artists were master poets and storytellers who spoke out on a wide array of different social issues."
With this new approach in teaching, Fatheree said more students enrolled in his class and their performance in the lessons also improved. Drawing from his example, the students of Fatheree have been influenced into making music and short films on various topics including bullying and poverty.
Meanwhile, BBC Active added that teachers should also make use of all the technological materials given to them like Powerpoint presentations and educational videos. It explained that these methods will ensure that students will continue to listen to their teachers even if they do not like the subject.
The same report also highlighted that lectures inside the classroom should also be interactive. Grouping students in class and asking them to work and solve problems as a team will encourage them to understand the lesson and help their struggling classmates. "[It] helps to promote student retention and learning of the content presented during lecture," says BBC Active.
