The Dialogue
Question:
Should we teach students what they wish to
learn instead of what we think they need to learn?
 Yes, the motivation of students to
learn is tied to their personal interests and goals.
Donna Simmons*
I teach an introduction to communication class that has confirmed to me that
students who are interested in a class because the class fits with their
personal interests and goals tend to be more motivated students.
About one-third of my students are taking this required class near the end
of their major. These students have two primary goals: graduation and getting
on with their lives beyond school.
I've found that many of the senior year majors are much less motivated and
interested in this class than the first-year majors. Few of them see the value
of the subject matter to helping them achieve their goals.
This attitude changes when I can relate what I'm presenting to them in terms
of their graduation and career goals. That is, the students respond better to
the class material when they believe they're learning what they wish to learn
instead of what I think they need to learn.
Especially in classes where the students have goals and interests that don't
seem to relate to the class they are taking, I have found that trying to
explain how the material of a class is valuable to them is a weak motivation.
But the students who are not particularly interested in an introduction to
communication class respond when I can frame the topic within their interests,
experiences, desires, expectations, and goals. I can teach students what I want
them to learn, even if the topic seems to be uninteresting or unimportant to
them.
I just need to tap into what motivates students, which is often what they
wish to learn. At least my own classroom experience suggests this to me.
* Donna Simmons is an assistant professor of communications
at California State University-San Bernadino and a member of the NEA-affiliated
California Faculty Association.
 No, if left to their own devices,
students are unlikely to take all the courses they need.
Rise Dickson *
Students often avoid courses they believe are unrelated to their
educational goals.
An engineering student, for instance, may not understand the need for
courses in writing and public speaking, while a communication studies student
may not see the need for courses in math or research. But knowledge of these
subjects is essential if one is to excel in any workplace.
The role of an educator is to guide students along a path of learning based
on the educator's more sophisticated understanding of the educational process.
This process of learning links together a seemingly disparate basic educational
foundation and broadens this newly gained knowledge into informed perspectives
and frameworks.
Students need guidance in integrating information into the larger
frameworks. A complete educational foundation provides students with basic
building blocks that enable them to come up with better options and decisions
in an ever changing and complex world.
These building blocks are often found in the very courses the students don't
want to take: math, history, economics, English, sociology, and research
methods, to name just a few.
We must require that students are exposed to a broad range of knowledge,
fostering integration of information into meaningful perspectives and
frameworks that are unlikely to develop without informed guidance.
I believe we should clearly be teaching students what we think they need to
know in order for them to become educated workers and citizens.
*Rise Dickson, an associate professor of communications,
chairs the Department of Communications Studies at California State
University-San Bernadino and is a member of the California Faculty Association.
Where Do You Stand? Send comments to CLehane@nea.org. You can also discuss the
issue on the NEA higher ed Web site at www.nea.org/he.
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