Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Education Dive, Lauren Barack discusses the importance of explaining to students how each lesson being taught ties into the big picture. Context is key to understand the material and gaining interest.

· How are teachers relating course content back to the real world? 

· Here's more on the importance of big picture learning and incorporating the real world into education.

Context — the understanding of how something connects to a whole — is never more crucial of a concept than within the sphere of K-12 education. Students need to be shown that what they’re learning is more important than getting a higher score on a standardized exam. Administrators and curriculum designers who fail to help students understand not just the whatof their lessons, but the why, are in danger of their pupils tuning out during class time.

When students see how lessons can impact their future, they see the purpose of their education. That real-world learning connection is rewarding on a number of levels, whether students see how the future may look or how they can actually apply these skills today.

That’s exactly what 5th-graders at the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle School in Akron, Ohio, experienced when designing a new tween space as part of their STEM curriculum at school. Students developed tools in the classroom that they were able to take outside into their community.

Read the full article about lessons with a 'why' by Lauren Barack at Education Dive.