A teacher prompts a discussion. Tumbleweeds roll, crickets sound. Occasionally a tribute sacrifices themself to mute the silence. But that may be it.

Interactive learning is absent from so many classrooms across America. It has become typical, no acceptable, to just get by through attendance. A halfhearted scribble of worthlessness onto a homework assignment between burger bites has become suffice.

Everything revolves around the ticking of the clock. When is class over? Five, ten minutes, before the bell the domino effect begins. Students close pen caps, shove crinkled papers into folders, one backpack strap waits on their shoulder. Runners, on your mark. Their external presence does not equate to being actively involved. Our brains, our resources, our time are only as valuable as we allow them to be.

Instantly, I knew my high school physics class would be different. For the first time I had a teacher that genuinely cared about learning as opposed to drilling material and attaching a numerical value to your intelligence. He didn’t care how many times a student had to reassess an exam or if you answered a question incorrectly on the homework. The sole consideration was are you invested in making an effort? 

It was about relentless trials until fulfilling that “aha” moment. We put into practice what we were learning. We strived to reach a level of understanding where we could explain concepts to someone else. Essentially, we were graded on our ability to improve our skills. That’s education.

Developing a supportive learning environment is vital for student participation. If we don’t learn that making mistakes is part of the learning process, we won’t raise our hand. Embarrassment taunts us. Failing was okay. My physics teacher worked to create such an atmosphere. And he did. The new norm was running out of time for class discussions. We questioned, we altered our methods, we reassessed, we learned.

Not every teacher can create this strong sense of community but integration of interactive involvement is extremely important. Let’s take advantage of our resources to maximize our time in schools.  

First, let’s ditch the textbooks. They often overcomplicate material and are difficult to understand. The biggest problem is practice problems only provide answers. They don’t teach you how to arrive to that solution. Frankly, they are a waste of paper, money and time. We need interactive learning supplements that constantly test your understanding.

Mistakes should be made with a purpose: to learn. If we just regurgitate answers on a lunch-smudged worksheet and “get by” we are withholding actual learning from ourselves. Of the many flaws in the American Public School System this may be one of the easiest to alleviate. 

Technology doesn’t need to take over, but somehow interactivity has to be introduced in the classroom. We need to return to our roots with our eyes focused on the sun. Let’s grow by reverting back to the original intention of a school education while persistently looking for ways to enhance learning.

[email protected]