Teaching Skills Through Content

Teaching Skills Through Content

Imagine this.

A high school sophomore sits in an Algebra 2 class. Learning the values of x, y, or z.

“When will I ever use algebra in real life?” groans the student.

The teacher in their exasperated state replies, “You need this class to pass.” Or worse... doesn’t respond at all.

Now, that student was not me - I loved algebra. I was always pretty good at math. But what I’ve come to learn is that it was never about the math. It was about the perseverance and grit I learned while doing the math. It was about the struggle I had to grasp the concept of subtraction in 1st grade. It was about the shaken perfectionism I experienced in 9th grade when I had to come to terms with the fact that not all maths were created equal. (I’m looking at you, geometry!) 

It was never about the content. It was about the skills I developed while learning the content.

This same idea can be applied across the curricula…

It’s about the confidence one develops on stage during their first choral concert for music class.

It’s about the higher-order thinking we tap into as we test scientific theories.

It’s about the motivation that drives us to compete within ourselves and amongst peers in P.E.

It’s about the empathy we learn from the tragedies and triumphs of human history.

It’s about the analytical thinking we exercise as we read the best literature of our time.

So why do we never tell our children that? Why do we focus on the content?

These skills are the invisible heroes of our story - in education and in life. Skills make us better people - Skills knit us more closely to our peers - Skills build better communities.

So, educators, parents, and any other adult who has the privilege to mentor a child - I challenge you. Let’s stop putting our focus on a good grade for the science project or the W at the end of a game of kickball and instead foster the skills that can be applied to whatever walk of life our children take. Being an expert in a particular field is an incredible feat, but it is that much more impressive when the skills learned within that field can be applied elsewhere in one’s life. It’s about what lies just beneath the surface. It’s about the skills and lessons learned - those skills that can be demonstrated all along the way.

Foster growth in skill development. Encourage critical thinking in its application.

And above all else, make sure they know it’s way more than a passing grade.