Improve Classes by Letting Students Teach

As part of a presentation on credibility of sources, I showed students a photograph of a shark attacking a soldier dangling from a helicopter. After we had discussed the photograph, my intention was to show students TruthorFiction.com, a web site designed to provide accurate information about e-rumors.

Before I could move to that part of my presentation, a student informed the class that there is a web site called Snopes.com that investigates urban legends and other myths. I pulled the web site up on the computer and then asked the student to show us how it worked. Then, when I gave students their homework assignment, I substituted Snopes.com for TruthorFiction.com, the web site I had originally intended to use.

Earlier in the day, a student in another class brought in a column from the Detroit Free Press because it was relevant to what we had been discussing. I photocopied the article and then distributed it to the class.

By welcoming students as co-teachers, I improve the quality of my classes. I also develop as a professional by learning from them.

    –Steven L. Berg, PhD

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Posted on by Steven L. Berg
Categories: Uncategorized

2 Responses

  1. Larissa Joseph says:
    18 September 2008 at 12:49 am

    It is my belief that when you teach something, you know it better yourself. Allowing students to aide in teaching will only help them know the material better. I believe this can work with any age. If a pre-schooler helps out a fellow classmate, he or she will definately know what they’re talking about and it will register in their brain better. The same goes for even my mom. I was homeschooled for five years and I know that my mom learned more information that she will remember for the rest of her life from teaching me and my sisters than when she went to high school. In my personal experience, I know that I have retained information better when I explain it to a fellow classmate then simply listening to the teacher. So, I definately believe that allowing students to help teach is an excellant idea.

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  2. Aaron Clark says:
    17 September 2008 at 4:28 pm

    Teachers who teach young students may need to present themselves as a strong authority figures. Yet, teachers who teach at the college level are usually dealing with adults whom know that the teacher should be obeyed in order to advance their education. At this point, both the teacher and the students can work together more as equals to improve the students’ education.
    The threat of this movement towards equality is that students may not be prepared to take on their new role. If the students becomes more like the teacher, but lack the education and priorities of the teacher, information may be miscommunicated and productivity may be lost. Even if the teacher carefully monitors and corrects the students’ teaching, wrong information may cause confusion when a student trys to sort out what was correct and what was wrong.
    If an effective balance can be found then this balance shall hopefully help the students meet their goals.

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