How many of you blushed when you read that title?!! Well, its true we are H-O-T and have always been H-O-T, that is Hands-on-Teachers!!! So why is it that the rest of the education world is just catching on? Hands- on-learning is defined as learning by doing. It enables students to take what they have learned and apply it to complete a task. However, hands on learning is more than just allowing students to use objects with their hands, it must also involve some critical thinking. A great example that most of us commonly demonstrate is done when we teach students about kitchen safety and then send the students into the kitchen to prepare a recipe only armed with the knowledge of what we have taught. It is then left up to the students to internalize that information in order to safely complete the task.
Benefits of Hands on Learning:
- Helps students retain the information that has been taught.
- Helps students develop a sense of accomplishment.
- Helps students develop critical thinking skills.
- Helps to actively engage students and encourages more participation.
It is currently being mentioned in many national and state mandated documents that hands on teaching is a teaching method that has been proven to increase student’s learning and retention. However, this method or style of teaching has been around for many years and has been used constantly by all CTE teachers. It is good to know that everyone else is finally catching on. My challenge to you all is to keep doing what you are doing and we will continue to lead the way and let everyone know that the FACS profession is not going anywhere as long as we are H-O-T!!!
