If Margaret Wise Brown (the author
of “The Important Book”) were to write about an authentic audience, I think it
would go something like this:
The important thing about an
authentic audience is that the audience is meaningful to your students. An
authentic audience can increase student engagement and effort in their
learning. The audience should be relevant to the material you’re discussing. It
is best if the audience can provide timely feedback. But the important thing
about an authentic audience is that the audience is meaningful to your
students.
Students
are much more likely to put in extra effort if they know they’re preparing for
a special or unique audience. Teachers are the same way! Think back to your
PDAS days. I know it’s a mood killer, but it will make this point easier to
relate too. Think about how much time and effort you put into preparing that
one lesson. You gave it your all because you knew your administrator would be
basing the majority of your evaluation off of that one lesson. Now think about
how much time and effort you put into your lessons on a daily basis. A lot of
teachers write lesson plans because we have to and our administrators are going
to make sure we have entered them. Likewise, our students tend to do average
work because we make it a requirement and it will be for a grade. If we want
students to give it their all, we need to provide them with a meaningful audience.
When
considering an audience for your students, it is imperative that the audience
is relevant! Would you value teaching feedback from a three star Michelin chef?
While I respect Gordon Ramsay’s ability to cook and his British accent, I would
not take what he had to say about my teaching to heart. Similarly, students are
more likely to apply constructive feedback from someone that’s “in the
business” as opposed to the person teaching about “the business.” If we want
students to go above and beyond, we need to provide them with a meaningful
audience.
Like with
most components of teaching, there’s not a one-size-fits-all audience for our
students. In order to pick a meaningful audience, you must first get to know the
kids in your class. Once you know what makes them “tick,” you can do a better
job in choosing your audience for each assignment. Instead of trying to find a
variety of audience members for one assignment, it is my recommendation to
provide a variety of audience members throughout the year. If we want the most
from our students, we need to provide them with a meaningful audience.
Unfortunately,
it is becoming harder to keep students engaged and to get the most out of them.
One way to remedy this challenge is by providing students with an authentic
audience that is also meaningful!
Faren DeRieux - I graduated with my Master’s degree from Austin College in
2009. I played college soccer, and I still play in adult leagues! This is my 7th
year to teach (fourth year in Sunnyvale). I have two daughters: Tori (3 years
old) and Brianna (10 months old).
