Solving the Problem of Classroom Education by Julia

Solving the Problem of Classroom Education by Julia - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

It used to be my thinking that the teaching style employed by professors and teachers in their classrooms was wholly influenced and subject to the material that they were presenting to their students. Math material had to done by the teacher at school and then practiced by the student at home, literature was a question and answer discussion based on the students’ level of understanding, and science was lecture after lecture with just enough time to scribble down the important points before the slide disappears leaving notes incomplete.

Now in my final year of undergraduate study, with seventeen years of various schooling under my belt, I have experienced and succeeded in all different types of educational approaches. Some professors and teachers do stick to this traditional avenue of conveying their subject information to students in a dry manor, and the others have intellectually challenged me to realize the classroom did not have to follow these stereotypical formats of how each subject should be learned. Through those specific classroom experiences, I have been able to determine that problem solving is the single most important mechanism that can be employed in any classroom environment. In the classroom setting, problem solving can be the greatest benefit to creating a healthy dynamic between educator and student, generating direct intellectual stimulation of students’ minds, and instilling methods of thinking that will be useful in any classroom setting or application in the real world.

Developing lesson plans and classroom discussions from the basis of problem solving creates a group dynamic in a classroom that cannot be found in lecture halls. The ability of an educator to open up a classroom to allow for conversation, mistakes, theories, and possibilities develops an important trust and willingness to participate between teacher and student. By guiding the conversation with focal points that force students to develop their own reasoning or conclusions of the conversation topic will teach them about their current thought process as well as extend new knowledge or way of thinking to future classes. The intellectual stimulation that is derived from a problem solving education can simply not be replaced by other methods of teaching. Working through information in a class discussion triggers ideas and concepts that might not have been thought of individually if they were just simply told the answer. Problem solving generates passion in what is being challenged and encourages students to be prepared for what will be discussed in the classroom. Finally, the method of problem solving teaches students important principles that they can then apply to future college courses, career paths, global issues and all other aspects of life.

Possessing the skills to work through concepts as an individual is extremely important in developing an understanding of yourself, your capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. All of this stems and blossoms in the environment of a classroom. It can only be continue to be nurtured by the educator if they have the desire, drive, and passion to supply their students with the classroom education that they deserve.