Students Going Beyond Fundamental Coursework/Requirements
For many students, the basic requirements for a class are not enough to challenge them intellectually. The use of lively discussion, questioning ideas further, and the occasional extra essay are examples of going above and beyond the course requirements. This helps maximize the education of students by giving them the freedom to take their education in their own hands.
When high achieving students are given chances for more challenging material or possibly digging deeper into a subject, they then become more interested in the class as a whole and end up gaining more from their education. From the interviews conducted, there are many people to help support this idea. A student in the education department mentioned how when given a paper to write instead of an exam they felt like they could express themselves more freely. The student explains, “I like when teachers do essay exams or papers as exams. I think it gives you more room to actually express your knowledge and it motivates you to actually learn about it when you can write about it rather than just regurgitate answers.” A communication sciences and disorders student realizes that the students should be the ones to take the initiative and go beyond what is required. On the other hand, a business student in the interview mentioned how professors also need to have the will to motivate these students. This student states, "Look at the main topics of the course and ask the student involved to look deeper into the topics instead of the overview that most of our classes does on topics because they are so expansive." All of these students show how students going beyond what is required should be applied to the classroom and work effectively for everyone in the class.
In real life, there are many chances for this idea to be applied to the classroom. For example, one of Dr. Brackenbury’s Great Ideas students took an education class. The teacher of this class provided multiple opportunities to explore and enhance the students’ education by going the extra mile. The students were told to read multiple articles about certain topics. Then the next step was to create questions based on personal interests was and what each individual wanted to research. After that it was left up to the student to find resources to answer his/her question that they posed and do further research to find the answer. This allowed students to explore their own answers and be creative with their education. Thus, encouraging them to go beyond the basics of the classroom.
References
Brackenbury, Tim. "A Qualitative Examination Of Connections Between Learner-Centered Teaching And Past Significant Learning Experiences." Journal Of The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning 12.4 (2012): 12-28. ERIC. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
Callahan, Carolyn M., et al. "What Works In Gifted Education: Documenting The Effects Of An Integrated Curricular/Instructional Model For Gifted Students." American Educational Research Journal 52.1 (2015): 137-167. PsycINFO. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.