
Professor Binns, the only ghostly professor at Hogwarts was also by far the most boring. His class was lecture only. As he droned on about the history of Goblin Wars, students slept, doodled, stared into space, played hangman and anything but listen and learn. The only way Harry and Ron Weasley passed was by copying Hermione's notes after class.
But what can we learn from Professor Binns and even his students to improve your classroom? Say, "teach this teacher," and keep reading.
First, let's examine the students. Too many times we say the kids don't care. But I ask you this, if kids don't care why would Ron and Harry care enough to copy notes? And why, pray tell, do students even bother to show up? And I ask the same of our students. Perhaps they care and would care more if we reached them. Let's see what we can learn from Professor Binn's teaching style, and why it was so ineffective in teaching history to young witches and wizards, er well... students.
I've summarized the lessons I take away every time I read Binn's History of Magic class in a Harry Potter book. Here are 5 takeaways:
Lecture's are necessary. There are times when students need to hear concise and clear information in a lecture style format. These types of lessons are very common in history classes. And lecturing certainly beats "read page 567-678" any day of the week. So use lecturing when necessary, but follow the following steps to enhance even lectures.
Teach to different learning modalities. When we leave college, learning modalities is something we are all aware of. As time goes by, we forget that every lesson needs to cater to different modalities. All lessons, even lectures, should incorporate a few of the following: listening (speeches, podcast clips, interviews), viewing (videos, pictures, artifacts), kinesthetic (creating, cutting, movement). You get the point. Everyone doesn't learn the same, so use multiple modalities in each of your lessons.
Check for understanding. The one class that was slightly interesting in History of Magic was when Hermione dared to ask a question. Ol' Binss was shocked. No one ever showed enough interest to ask a question. How many times, do we stop to check for understanding? These questions can guide and spur the lesson to meet students where they are, and this is essential for both comprehension and engagement.
Allow students to teach themselves and each other. Classrooms shouldn't be a place where students come to "get" knowledge, but they should find and give as well. When we empower students to take responsibility for their learning, they care more. Imagine that! How is this done? Try proposing a question, allow students resources (primary sources, textbooks, articles" and allow them to find answers and form opinions based on the information in front of them. Allow them to research answers in books or online. Then, allow them to share what they gained with classmates. Trust me, this method will be more memorable and meaningful. Plus, you haven't just given a man a fish, but taught him how to fish by empowering students to teach themselves. This idea would be totally foreign to Professor Binns.
Become personable. Make your lessons personable. From the second he walked into the classroom, or actually floated through the blackboard, professor Binns "taught." Students weren't connected to him, and when students feel disconnected from the teacher they disconnect from the teaching. Every once in a while, you should allow students into your life. Tell them a funny story that happened over the weekend. Ask them about their plans for the weekend. These small things allow students to appreciate coming to your class. You are not a robot teaching them information as a computer would, but a real person that can interact, laugh, and feel along with them.
I am so appreciative that you took the time to read my message and allow me to indulge my Harry Potter fandom. You're a great teacher. Teaching is worth the hassle. We can all learn from each other. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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