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Expectations in the Classroom: Raising learning expectations benefits both students and teachers

 

       Expectations are a large part of both the student and the instructor responsibility within a learning environment, because without them both parties are not likely to reach their fullest potential. Expectations help hold both parties accountable. In a class where the instructor does not set clear expectations, a high achieving student may feel a lack of purpose, or even a sense of confusion as to where the class is going. Without student expectations, the student is unlikely to participate fully in classroom --or out of classroom-- activities, making learning below the shallow level difficult and unlikely. An example of this may be a history class made up entirely of worksheets that are filled out as a group with a team, followed by a matching quiz that hasn’t been redone in ten years. The students simply fill-in the worksheet and study from the old tests, never actually feeling pressured to know the information.

       In addition, “Teachers must also be constantly challenging students with complex ideas that require students to utilize critical thinking skills in order to both comprehend and contextualize given material” (Gallagher, Harradine, et. al). Setting expectations for high achieving students benefits both teachers and students by creating a stimulating and active learning environment. Because of this, students are able to become more engaged and participate more in class and teachers will have students who set high expectations for themselves and keep striving for a higher goal.

 

References

Gallagher, James John, 1926-, Christine C. Harradine, and Mary Ruth Coleman. "Challenge Or Boredom? Gifted Students' Views On Their                          Schooling." Roeper Review 19.(1997): 132-136. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

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