Passionate Teaching: The Key to Learning by Hannah

Passionate Teaching: The Key to Learning by Hannah - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

The passion of the teacher directly effects the interest—and learning—of the students. Passion, unlike what most romantic novels often portray, has no starry-eyed meaning in education, but is a strong feeling or emotion about the subject. Passion was also the single characteristic that all of my best teachers and professors displayed during my many years in school. To effectively use passion in teaching, the professor needs to clearly communicate their ideas and maintain the momentum of the class.

First, excitement about the topic taught only works when there is coherent communication. While most people agree that an ardent professor can ignite their own interest in the subject, if the teacher does not speak clearly and orderly, then the lecture may be akin to listening to a bubbling of a three-year old cousin. The passion of the adorable toddler and the professor is contagious in both examples; however, it is only with a teacher that the student can adequately respond and grow. Clear communication in excited classroom may look different in every subject. In some disciplines, an orderly PowerPoint that can be viewed at home is necessary, while other classes may require worksheets that the professor can hand out. Regardless of the method, when a teacher is excited and clearly communicates the lesson, the students are bound to follow suit.

Passionate teaching also involves a daily maintenance system, which could be summarized by the words, “Pace Yourself.” Keeping a steady pace in teaching and upholding the interest level of the classroom may be a difficult combination to master, but it is not impossible. Teachers, from what I have seen, need to include some engaging exercise or facts in every lesson in order to engage their students each time in class. As they engage their students with interesting topic-related discussion, appropriate video-commentary and creative in-class activities, their students will learn quickly and build on their previous knowledge. All of these supplemental materials (and activities) create an overall interest in the class when the teacher paces them over the entire course time. Passionate teaching must be timely and well-planned in order to best impact the students.

In short, if I could give only word of advice to a teacher, the answer would be “Passion.” When the professor is interested in the topic, their excitement becomes contagious and quickly spreads to their students. Wise teachers will also use good communication skills and maintain their momentum as they guide the students through the course. The key to learning is thus multi-fold; through the passion of the teacher, the education bug is caught, the ideas clearly develop and the entire class becomes an engaging and adventurous place to learn.