In a recent conversation with educators, we were comparing our collective class attitudes from year to year. Some years I have classes filled with complacent bodies not interested in learning. Other years I have eager and curious students, coming to class ready to ask questions, not just to earn a grade.
Clearly, we would all like to teach the latter group. But how do we cultivate an atmosphere of curiosity in the high school classroom? After all, high school students are learning in a system that directs them to a common point: the grade. Top grades = top colleges = top careers. When so many of our students are being led down this path with little variance, it’s no wonder that learners can become complacent and lessons can grow a bit stale.
Here are some tips to help you cultivate curiosity in your classroom, so you can have students who are driven by a desire to learn rather than a grade to earn.
Emphasize the WHY
Several years ago I was teaching AP Lit and my students had just taken the AP Lit exam. After it, I asked them how they felt they did. One student said she didn’t feel very confident when taking the test, either on the multiple choice or the essays. When I asked her why, she responded, “Well, you taught me a lot in this class. But it was a lot of you giving me answers. Once you weren’t there, I didn’t know what to do.”
Wow. That one stuck with me. I realized that I had spent an entire year lecturing to my students how to think and respond to literature but never letting them think for themselves. I spent so much time emphasizing the who, what, when, where, and how, but never stopped to ask why.
When I redesigned my course after the 2019 AP changes, I pivoted to a why-driven teaching style. On day one, we discuss a variety of different textual excerpts. I ask them questions that don’t have a right answer but ask them to question why this text counts as great literature. Why should we care?
This theme lasts all year long, slowly transitioning learners to seek the right answer but instead form a solid interpretation that they can defend (regardless if it is the one the teacher agrees with).
Use Socratic Methods
One strong way to build curiosity and deep discussion strategies is to integrate Socratic discussions frequently. Last year, my AP Lit class was filled with a hodgepodge of very strong personalities. I was afraid to try a Socratic Seminar, since they were still learning to speak with respect. But when I finally integrated Socratic discussions in our unit for Fences, they were begging for more of them.
I think my students like Socratic methods because I sit off in the corner, listening to them rather than leading the discussion with my own agenda. Sure, I moderate when necessary and provide the questions to start the discussion. But the rest of the conversation is in their hands, allowing students to discuss and explore topics that, often times, I couldn’t even dream up.
To get started integrating Socratic discussions, check out this article from Read Write Think.
Use hexagonal thinking
Another great teaching strategy that builds autonomy and curiosity in learners, especially upperclassmen, is hexagonal thinking. I used this method on my first day with World Literature learners and it was a gamble. What would have taken my AP Lit students 2 days took these kids 3, but it was totally worth it.
Hexagonal thinking asks students to find commonalities in subjects, then analyze the common topics and develop themes. In my lesson, students read two different world texts, then found common conflicts, writing strategies, and topics within. It helped me emphasize that even though their texts were from different centuries and different parts of the world, they still had so much relevance to each other, and to our lives today!
To read more about hexagonal thinking, check out Betsy Potash’s blog post on the topic here. It comes with a link to free hexagons that you can cut out and use right away. I recommend laminating them and using Expo markers, so you can use them over and over again.
Join a teaching network for fresh ideas
Many of you currently reading this blog post only found it because of the AP Lit Facebook group, where I often share AP Lit-related posts. I literally only use Facebook for the Groups feature (and sometimes to shop the marketplace). I love hearing the highs and lows of my fellow AP Lit teachers. Even better, it’s a great place to share ideas and strategies among educators.
For a free and easy step into teacher networking, I recommend looking into Facebook groups. There are hundreds of groups on Facebook, specializing in grades, subjects, and texts. If you’re not a member of a teaching group on Facebook (or maybe you don’t have Facebook), here are some other places you can network and share with other teachers in your subject area:
NCTE – If you’re an English teacher, I highly recommend joining NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English. Their online publications are worth the membership price alone, but then there are the conferences. I’m looking forward to attending my first Annual Convention this fall in Ohio!
Canvas Commons – This is an online forum for teachers who use Canvas as their school’s LMS. There is an emphasis in online resources that they can use with Canvas.
EdWeb – This collection of online webinars allows teachers to grow in their professional development and engage in online discussions.
LinkedIn – LinkedIn isn’t just for professionals looking to “expand their networks.” This is a great place to discuss teaching strategies and classroom models with teachers at other positions. It’s especially great for teachers in leadership positions or those in administration.
Voxer – If you’re a bit more selective of who you network with, I recommend starting a Voxer group with some of your teacher friends. I’m currently in one with the likes of Melissa Smith, Susan Barber, Matt Brisbin, Roy Smith and many more. Voxer allows us to leave voice messages or quick text updates on our day-to-day lessons and problems or issues we’re currently facing in the classroom.
Engage project-based learning and student-designed activities
Project-based learning, or PBL, has become a trending strategy in elementary classrooms. However, they are very relevant in middle and high school as well. I’ve been working on integrating project-based learning in my 10th grade and Journalism classes especially. Students get to pitch their own project, design their own rubric, and work on their own schedule to complete it. I’ve found that the self-made structure of the project gives students more ownership and a drive to get it done. They also end up working much harder because their showing off something they designed.
For an example of a PBL that I use in my 10th grade classroom, check out our popular Identity project. Many of my seniors tell me at graduation that this was one of their favorite high school activities, even though it is hours of work and counts as their final!
Use bellringers for engaging mini-lessons
Another strategy I’ve started using in both 10th grade and AP Lit are bellringers to kick off lessons. My sophomores do a bellringer each day, while AP Lit uses them on block days. I design my bellringers to introduce concepts that we’ll build on later, such as literary terms or nonfiction rhetorical analysis. We read, we ask some questions, and often I pair it with a video clip or media example. With my sophomores, many bellringer lessons end in a buzz of discussion and new curiosity on a topic. This helps me later on when we return to these concepts in a future lesson, and students can go, “Oh yeah!” and recall our earlier lesson.
Go gradeless (if possible)
One of the best ways to build curiosity in students is to take away the standardized end goal: grades. I will also acknowledge that this is very difficult to do and often not a decision you are allowed to make on your own. However, if you have interest in a gradeless program, I suggest you check out my friend Matt Brisbin’s TED Talk on the topic.
Follow them down the rabbit hole occasionally
I’m a stickler to a lesson plan. I don’t want to fall behind when I’m trying to fit so much into one year, so I usually stay on task. However, there are moments when opportunities arise to ditch the lesson plan and follow a tangent. Sometimes these are academically based and sometimes they are social-emotional. Basically, there are times that the lesson plan can be put aside.
One of my favorite memories of going down a rabbit hole was when we were studying “The Raven” with my sophomores. I found that the concept was very abstract to my students, but it was terrifying for me. Personally, I have a fear and distrust of birds. But my students didn’t! So I paused on Poe for a bit and showed my students YouTube videos of ravens in nature. Some ravens have even been trained to talk, which makes them even creepier. After establishing a universal distrust for ravens, we returned to “The Raven,” which seemed much more sinister the second time around.
To conclude…
As I said before, these are just some strategies that I use to emphasize student interpretations and cultivate curiosity among my students. I’d love to hear other ideas you can offer to drive students towards learning, not just earning a grade.
