Why learn this?

Students like to ask questions. One of the most common is "when will I use this?" Sometimes this question is real, sometimes it is laced with sarcasm (because they assume the answer is never).

Well, the question itself is a fair question. One of a teacher's many jobs is to make a lesson apply to the lives of students. So how do you do that? Let's try.

I am teaching a unit on South America. One of the themes that always comes up in the textbook is income inequality. There is usually a picture like this. . .

...with a question along the lines of "Why is there such a large gap between the rich and poor in this region?"

Well why does it matter to students if in another country most people fall into the category of "very rich" or "very poor?" After all, it's not their problem...they are not the ones living in poverty...

Bam! There's something they care about: being poor or rich. After all, students care very much about who has money and who doesn't. Just listen to them talk about classmates who they think are rich, and you will find out that it strikes a nerve that some people have more money than others.

So, let's zoom out on this issue. Can you boil the issue down into one simple question? (Because once you have a question they agree on and care about, you have a lesson.)

How about this for a question: "Why do some people have more than others?" Do they care if someone in their town can afford a better phone or care than them? I would guess they do.

Or, another question could be "What changes someone's wealth?" The reality is that people can and do go from poverty to wealth, and vice-versa. But it is the exception to the rule. In most countries, the wealth or poverty level you were born into is probably where you will stay. So how do some people break this rule?

And that is it. Not rocket science. Not even a revolutionary question. But it is a question that matters. And once students realize the question matters, you have a decent start to a lesson.