The PIA factor

I have a new theory of teaching. It involves what I call the PIA factor, which stands for pain in the derriere, as the French say.

The higher the PIA factor is, the lower the true learning factor is. I'm not talking about regurgitated learning where the student coughs up some facts (or is able to recognize some information on a multiple choice test) and then promptly forgets everything within a week.

I'm talking about learning that is a real change in a person's thinking, learning that makes the world seem a little different to the person. To me, this is what real learning is.

So the PIA factor has an inverse correlation to true learning, as the numbers people might say.

What are PIA's? They differ according to student. One person's PIA is another person's fun activity. Some kids love flash cards and others hate them. Some love homework and others hate homework. Some students find value in tests and tests turn others off from any kind of engagement with school.

And this is the problem. There are kids who have a high tolerance for PIA's. They can crank out the book reports and term papers and worksheets. There are other students who cannot tolerate PIA's and will not learn because the PIA's become barriers for them.

Another name for PIA-sensitive students is "at-risk" students. But I think "PIA-sensitive" really gets at the issue--that meaningless activity doesn't belong in the classroom, and that we need to know enough about each student to find out what constitutes meaninglessness.