Meaningful Lesson Planning
If you just ask the question, “How is History/Spanish/Math meaningful in your lives?” most students will go, “I don’t know” or “It’s not.” Finding out what is meaningful to them will allow you as a teacher to connect your curriculum to their lives in a relevant way that will keep them engaged and result in a more authentic learning experience.
We suggest that you start by simply getting to know your students. You can use a questionnaire (like the one attached) at the start of the school year, and use a similar one at the start of a unit, with questions that might tie into your unit content (see other attached).
Once you’ve gotten to know your students, have a day when you hold a conversation about what is meaningful. See if you can develop a class definition or list of what is meaningful to them, and then discuss ways in which we can connect content to that definition.
You can start this discussion using an interactive method like “Vote with your Feet” or “Cross the Line,” or with a journal writing exercise or “Chalk Talk” where students relay up to the board to write their thoughts. You can then segue into small groups where students can compile their thoughts and discuss in less threatening environment than in front of the whole class.
The discussion about connecting what is meaningful to students with what you feel, as a teacher, is meaningful in your curriculum is fraught with peril – aka, student apathy. Be ready to face “I don’t know” and “I don’t care” or, at worst, stony silence from you class. Try not to force the discussion, “History is important to you because your whole lives depend on it!”
Instead, Be responsive to your audience! Be prepared to share about yourself, and give a personal example of how this curriculum is meaningful to you. Ask leading questions that force students to make connection and come up with answers, rather than just lecturing or telling them. If small groups works better than the whole-class group, stick with the smaller group.
The end result of this conversation will not be immediately apparent to you or your students. It merely sets the foundation for exploring your content in a meaningful way, and we suggest you revisit the conversation at the end of the unit or the year. This method is an excellent way to pre- and post-assess for disposition targets around student engagement and meaning.