Knowledge and skills part 5
A young teacher asked me: “We want students to learn more and develop skills but most students only want to have degree. How can we change this belief?
Answer: The view about degree dated back thousand years ago in history. At that time, a degree means certain knowledge and skills verified by certain exams in the emperor’s court and if pass, they will have good jobs. Today a degree is no longer a guarantee for job and we have many graduates with degree but no job or have to work in jobs that have nothing to do with their education.
As teachers, we understand the learning process and the important of skills but students may not as learning is internally motivated not externally. To change students’ behavior we must change their beliefs about learning. If students do not believe that they need certain knowledge and skills then they will continue to focus on passing grades and obtaining degree. If students believe the knowledge is relevant and important then they will focus their learning towards building more knowledge, rather than just focusing on the grade. Traditional teaching does not clearly explain the relevancy of class materials to future works. Most teachers are focusing on “WHAT you need to know” rather than “WHY you need it and HOW you are going to use it in your job.” By clearly explain “Why” and “How” before each lecture, I have seen students changing their beliefs in learning. Rather than focusing on the grade, they begin to examine how they develop their knowledge and skills and what this means to their future.
It is difficult to motivate students to learn but I believe the key is in the ability to reach the student at their fundamental beliefs level. By working with students to help them understand how much they learn and what skills they need can make a difference. In my classes, I often ask students a question “What do you think you are going to use this knowledge for?” The question requires students to review their education goals with what they will learn, validate the knowledge and the development of skills that they will have and the useful of such skills in the future. I let students to discuss among themselves in small group where they share their beliefs with others. Students seem to change their beliefs as they begin to discover how and why they should learn and what they will use them for. They also begin to create new beliefs of how their knowledge will lead to better uses in the future. Many students told me that they have never discussed their beliefs before with anyone and no one has asked. A frequent conclusion is “Now I know why I need to know this.”
The majority of students’ beliefs about education are based on their personal life experiences and influenced by society. In high school, they are told to pass certain exams to go to college; in college they are encouraged to get a degree in order to have good jobs; newspapers mention about the need to have more workers with advanced degrees; everything they hear is about passing exams and get degree NOT knowledge or skills. Given that situation, we cannot blame why many students have a fundamental belief that the ultimate education goal is a degree. I have heard many parents tell their children: “Study hard, get a degree then worry about other things later.” Today we cannot worry about other things after receiving the degree, it is TOO LATE. Students must plan for a career when they are still in high school and have a career plan with education goals and direction when they go to college to guide them during their education journey.
We need to change students’ beliefs about learning to motivate them to learn in a new way thereby enhancing their knowledge and skills development. This will require that we add more relevancies into our teaching materials and explain clearly what they will need to have before leaving school AND they must develop a lifelong learning as learning does not stop after graduated but must continue throughout their lives.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
