What is a lesson after all? - Part One

The whole idea for this blog is to share lessons learned from a teacher's perspective. So that got me thinking, what causes a lesson to happen? I mean, if you can read this, that most likely means you have had some sort of formal schooling, so you know what a lesson looks like, but does that lesson really start at school in room 101 at 7:30 am?

The obvious answer is no, it doesn't. Let's see... I guess first we need to discuss what a lesson is, and what it entails.

Flashcard time, hehehe... When you think of learning, this image may be what pops up on your head...


Classic, huh? Apple on desk, distracted students, boring looking teacher, puzzled kid, nerd... But why is this lesson taking place, or better put, why do we go through that? No, it is not because teachers can't do it, so they teach it instead LOL (saying I learned here in the US).

Ok, so let's get to it, or at least start discussing it (after all by the title you figured I won't finish it in one post). I will be stating some obvious stuff here but bear with me, I promise there is a purpose to that.

A lesson involves something to be taught, at least one student and a teacher. Let's focus on the topic of the lesson on this post. So, what is that something to be taught? And why does it have to be taught? 

As a teacher, the first few interactions with my students were used to determine their level of English and their needs in order to advance. And then, using that information, I would decide what was to be taught. 

Similarly, in a lesson, what is to be taught is determined by the needs of the learner, and the reason for that lesson is to adequately equip the learner with the skills to master that subject. You can't be a mathematician without knowing numbers, for instance.

If you are in the middle of a hard lesson right now, it may be helpful to remember that, in order to advance, to move on to the next best thing that is awaiting for you, you need to learn that lesson. That life situation is right in front of you for a reason, and that reason is that YOU NEED IT, whether you like it or not. When you are new to a topic, the basic lessons come first. When you master that basic knowledge, then you are ready to move on to harder topics.


The Brazilican Learner