Make Yourself Clear

19After Delight

As we approach the end of this section on delight, let's jump back into the classroom for a moment. Let's imagine that we're joining a class that has been deeply engrossing, filled with inquiry and joy, a smorgasbord of intrinsically motivated participation punctuated by laughter and those aha moments that make learning so personally rewarding. (You might try to envision the last time you were in a classroom like that and place us there.) In short, we're nearing the end of that really good class, we've experienced sustained delight…and now what?

Work toward Good Homework

The best teachers know that the learning effects of a class, even if that class felt like a success for both its students and its teacher, will begin to fade as soon as the class is dismissed. That's why great teachers end, and extend, their lessons well.

Near the end of our hypothetical great class, our hypothetical great teacher would intentionally shift to synthesis, rehearsal, and extension. She might ask students to make personal meaning out of what they learned. She might ask them to apply it to their hoped‐for career. She might ask them to fill out a quick survey to both ingrain what they had just learned and share back assessment data, which she could then use to identify gaps in learning and plan future classes. She might hand students an index card, ask them to use it to answer a question, and have them hand in the card before they left the classroom. This last move is called providing ...