Robin Roberson has an awesome quote from Deirdre Wilson Dan Sperber (co-authors on Relevance Theory) in her article “Helping Students Find Relevance”:
“…utterances raise expectations of relevance not because speakers are expected to obey a Co-operative Principle and maxims or some other specifically communicative convention, but because the search for relevance is a basic feature of human cognition, which communicators may exploit.” (2004)
In response Roberson very astutely continues by saying:
“While this may sound somewhat Machiavellian, all it means is that when a speaker (teacher) provides relevance for a listener (student), the speaker conveys his or her intentions to the listener (teaching/learning) by tapping into the listener’s cognitive need to make sense of the world.” (2013)
The emphasis on making sense of the world is something I identify as a central tenet of my own teaching objectives, especially when we consider the competing academic and applicable natures of Social Studies. I agree with Roberson in her identification of relevance as a two-part position determined by interest and knowledge value.
Identifying the subjective presence of each to students is not academically taxing, or even that insightful, in fact the beauty in it lies in the mundanity of establishing each. Introducing yourself as an individual and having your students introduce themselves as such is imperative. Roberson writes:
“Knowing why they took your class; what they do in their spare time; and what their goals, aspirations and dreams are can provide insight into how to relate class information to them (e.g., interest or utility value) for the rest of the course. On the flip side, telling them similar things about yourself lets students know you are human and approachable — the first step to achieving relatedness.” (2013)
Humanness is huge I think; it doubly connects you to them (and vice versa), but additionally creates a platform that both participants – students and teachers – place the content upon to better understand based on knowledge of oneself, and one’s teacher/students. This allows distant images to be painted with personality that is real and exists in the world. We learn to see ourselves in that which has already come to pass, and so begin to think about what will come to pass. The more open forum discussion and scaffolding that encourages this thinking the better. The following are a few quick ideas i’ve had in the recent months:
1.) Daily six-degrees of separation activity: Students are encouraged to keep an eye on the local, provincial, national, and international news/events and to come prepared to discuss the central ideas concerned therewith for the beginning of class. Additionally the insight can come straight from there experiences. two or three students will offer their insights on literally any topic (as long as it is appropriate in so much that the content is not crude) and the key words associated with those insights will be written clearly on the board. As class proceeds through material, activities, and discussions students are encouraged to try to connect the ideas being taught and those on the board no matter how ridiculous.
