When Delight Is the Goal
What’s one way you instill the joy of learning in your students?
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To inspire love of learning in my students, I model curiosity. I start my writing classes by sharing an intriguing bit of information about a subject. That could be a story about how trees migrate to get sunlight and moisture, or a poem from the current poet laureate. I show students how I explore and celebrate our odd, beautiful world, and then I invite them to do the same.
—Susan Meigs, Austin Community College
Choral response is my go-to teaching method for fostering joy. Students answer my questions aloud in unison. As an educator of future teachers, I model evidence-based practices that my student-teachers can incorporate into their classrooms. Research shows that choral response boosts engagement and supports learners by providing low-pressure opportunities for students to contribute answers. When I enthusiastically ask students to join together to state their answers, most of them respond with excitement and are full of energy.
—Deanna Kay Rice, University of Central Arkansas
I have set aside the goal of wanting my students to learn facts and figures. Instead, I want them to care about them. The classroom is a place to discover common life experiences and to explore curiosity. So, I turn class time into story time. For example, in my abnormal psychology class, to illustrate the difference between common fears and phobias, I share stories about my own fears and explain which ones are phobias. I ask students if they have similar stories they feel comfortable sharing—often they do.
—Colleen Kline, Community College of Baltimore County
My institution requires every undergraduate to serve at a school, hospital, or nonprofit agency. Students tell me that they experience immense joy through this form of learning. We must meet students where they are. I’ve had students who are downhill skiers serve at an adaptive ski school teaching blind people to ski. Some students think their time on the mountain should not fill the service requirement because they got a free lift ticket for the season in exchange for their work, but I’m happy for them to have this positive reinforcement. Students often want to continue serving long after the requirement has ended.
—Tony Mueller, University of Redlands
As a biology and biotechnology laboratory instructor, I radiate my own love of science each day. I want my students to find joy from three sources: designing experiments, practicing science as a hands-on endeavor, and discovering or making something novel, innovative, and valuable. By immersing my students in all three, I hope they will experience delight in all aspects of scientific research.
—Louis Roberts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Students need to see themselves as future professionals. I ask my students to engage in activities that allow them to develop real-world skills. During the pandemic, I began to use virtual reality simulations in my human services classes. These allow students to experience the realities of interacting with a client. In one simulation, students practice an intake meeting with a client in which they gather data and identify needs. During these simulations, students enjoy using skills they've studied.
—Narketta Sparkman-Key, Spelman College
To help my biology students see their own intellectual growth, I give them a challenging question at the beginning of each new topic module. For example, How do we compare and contrast synthesis of DNA with RNA in cells? They answer the question in class with no background or resources and then set it aside. After we have completed the module, I ask them to answer the same question again. Students express happiness about how much they've learned.
—Todd Primm, Sam Houston State University
I follow the instructional model from Gholdy Muhammad's Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction. I center my teaching on identity, intellect, skills, urgency, and joy. In my teacher education courses, I use culturally responsive texts that reflect students’ diverse backgrounds. These act both as a mirror in which students can see themselves and as a window into other people’s worlds, building empathy.
—Deborah Deneen, New Mexico Highlands University
Illustration by Paul Spella
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