Prime Minister's Awards for teaching Excellence

Engaging Students Through Hands-on, Authentic Learning

As school competes for attention among the many other activities of busy, modern children and teens, teachers often find themselves struggling to get their students interested in learning.

As the following examples show, many of the Prime Minister's Awards recipients have found that hands-on learning experiences are effective at allowing students to be much more engaged in their learning than traditional textbook-based activities.

Different hands-on experiences allow students to have learning opportunities that suit their learning styles. Learning and knowledge become more personal for students, more meaningful, and more deeply entrenched when it's "their" truth.

And when what students are learning is relevant, it also becomes authentic. The point of a hands-on activity is not just to have students demonstrate knowledge of a concept, but also to have them actively participate in building and sharing knowledge. In these situations, the students take over and the teacher becomes a facilitator rather the director of classroom activity.

Hands-on activities encourage independent and lifelong learning, as students gain an appreciation and a better understanding of themselves, their own needs, and their knowledge.