Imagine this: You walk into class on Monday and notice a whiteboard with a list of vocabulary words, under which is written: “Watch the assigned videos and take notes”. You walk into class on Tuesday, and there it is again—videos and notes. Wednesday comes along and it’s the same thing. All of these assignments are for the same class, and yet no variety is demonstrated within the week. 

We understand that students contribute to their education as much as teachers do. Therefore, troubles with learning in the classroom are not solely on the teacher’s shoulders. However, some teachers should rethink the way content is delivered in the classroom. 

Because of modern technology, it has become easier for teachers to rely on instructional videos and note guides almost entirely, disengaging from the learning of the students. Although this may seem helpful for some students, repetitive independent work can be harmful to the growth and learning of students in general. 

Also, some teachers churn out assignments with no variety, teaching the students in the same way every day. This can be damaging to students’ learning, making it easy for students to disengage from repetitive “busy work”. Assignments such as taking notes from videos, long individual work with paper packets, and movie guides by themselves are not productive for students’ learning. Not only does this practice cause a withdrawal from active learning, but it isn’t stimulating for the students. This leads to a disinterest in learning as a whole, contributing to a lack of student attentiveness. 

Additionally, many assignments and projects are individual work, not letting students engage in peer interaction. This can negatively impact students preparing for college and various careers that rely on collaboration. Classrooms such as this don’t provide an environment or opportunity for students to correspond with peers. Collaboration is a crucial component of student learning, as it teaches students to engage in productive work with diverse groups of people with different ideas and backgrounds. 

Another negative method that some teachers participate in is teaching memorization instead of long-term knowledge. Instead of teaching students lifelong studying skills that will help them to remember information long-term, memorization is commonly used. Students will only remember information for a test or quiz, allowing them to forget the material after taking said assessment. 

Nonetheless, these practices and assignments do have their place in classrooms. Such work can be beneficial to students’ learning and can act as a foundation for more advanced academic pursuits. However, relying solely on these practices as a principal method of delivering content can be harmful to students and should be used in moderation. We ask that teachers consider using different methods of teaching in the classroom, utilizing variations in assignments. For example, organizing Socratic seminars, group work, and class reviews can help keep students involved.