The point of making students come to class is to get them to learn. Even if they are physically present, it doesn’t matter much if they aren’t also mentally present. If it’s an elective class, the students have chosen it from a variety of options and probably have at least some amount of interest in the subject, but it’s difficult to engage students in a lot of standard curriculum classes. Most students will never need to use trigonometry or analyze a poem in their adult lives, and history classes are notorious for being an endless tidal wave of disconnected facts and dates. There are many things a teacher can do to increase engagement in their classroom. Among these are variety, passion, and humor. PowerPoint lectures have a time and a place and it is not always and everywhere. The way students get or reinforce the knowledge needed for the lesson can be changed to something more student-centered or at least less teacher-convenience-centered. Students can also tell when a teacher is only teaching a class because they have to teach something in order to coach the sport they’re interested in. Not every subject can be a teacher’s favorite, but it helps the students feel engaged if the teacher is engaged and believes that the thing they are teaching can have a positive effect on the students’ lives in some way. It also helps students stay interested when there is a bit of humor in the lesson. It is still primarily a lesson and not a standup comedy routine, but students who have zoned out tend to zone back in quickly when they hear something humorous or the laughter of their classmates. Don’t be afraid to present something in an appropriately jovial way, or even let the students add in their takes on something, as long as you ultimately maintain classroom control.
I like how you point out that when teachers are not as engaged in the material they’re teaching, students have a harder time following along. There will be days when we don’t want to show up to work anymore than the students want to sit through class. However, we can create a classroom environment that encourages students and gives them something to look forward to. Not everyone can be humorous on the spot, but it’s a good point to bring up. We may not all be comedians, but we can create a classroom environment where teachers and students feel free to laugh and make jokes. We are not superhumans because we carry a label that gives us more authority than students. I think the best thing we can do is show them that we also make mistakes and like to have fun; it’s something we can do together while investigating historical questions.
I think your point about how students can tell if teachers are engaged or are just teaching a subject because they have too is so important. In elementary and early middle school years, students will be engaged only if their teacher is engaged and I think that is also the same for high school. As teachers even if we do not want to be there, we have to remember that school might be an escape or the only safe space for some students and it is important to have an uplifting and engaging environment for them. Also, I loved your point about how students zone in when they hear laughter or something humorous. I saw that many times in my previous schooling years and I believe it builds a comfortable environment as well as a good bond between the teacher and their students.
I remember the classes I despised the most were the ones taught by the football coaches in the mountains and baseball coaches in the swamps. It felt that their sport was more relevant in the classroom than the material. While I enjoy those sports, they took over what I was there for (history). Humor is a major concept I plan on using in my classroom. This morning during my internship, the students were on the topic of pre-humans/evolution. I showed them a three minute compilation of the old caveman Geico commercials. It engaged the kids, focusing on the topic as well as the screen where educational videos played afterwards.
I think that PowerPoint, as you pointed out, gives off the impression that a teacher is phoning it in or is more interested in getting through the material rather than creating a positive and constructive environment for learning. I agree that there is a time and place for a traditional lecture such as a presentation, but not every teacher is going to have the ability to maintain the attention of the class with humor. Some teachers are not humorous, personable, or charismatic. In this instance, good teachers should be able to recognize their strengths and weaknesses and adapt their strategy where it is needed.