Student interest
No one went into teaching to routinely bore students with un-engaging lessons. Every teacher has that dream of crafting the perfect lesson where the kids all are bursting with excitement for learning and the content at hand. In reality, more often that not, we look out at the faces of pre-occupied teenagers suffering from the withdrawal associated with the restrictions placed on access to their cell phone. Much time and effort has been put into identifying and unpacking standards, setting learning goals, and creating assessments, but what good is all of that work if the receiver could care less. Student motivation is a constant struggle and only increases as students move from the primary grades to secondary schools. If their is no engagement, there is no learning. Goodwin and Hubbell are quick to note that "Student motivation, as it turns out, appears to have as much influence on student success as teaching quality" and that "student motivation translates into effort, which in turn has a greater effect on performance than ability does" (2013). The first few minutes of a lesson can lead to success or spell disaster. It is important to hook the kids at the beginning of the lesson. The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching identifies the following strategies:
- Ask a question
- Issue a challenge
- Use novelty -- https://howthebrainlearns.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/using-novelty-in-lessons/