Your students are full of potential. Helping them reach that potential means they need to be challenged in a rigorous learning environment. At our 2023 CERTIFIED Educator Conference and again on the CERTIFIED Educator Podcast, Jenny Mohess shared how she uses rigor in the classroom.
Learn more about what rigor means, how you can make yours meaningful, and how a rigorous classroom means you’re challenging yourself as well.
What is rigor?
According to Jenny, academic rigor means creating lessons that challenge students. With a rigorous curriculum you can help students not only learn the hard skills you’re teaching, but also develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills crucial to their success in the workforce.
Rigorous academic standards can help students stretch themselves, but it’s equally important for educators to consider the students in the classroom when setting those standards. Educators must adapt their teaching methods each year, counsels Jenny, to meet the changing needs and interests of their learners.
Rigor isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. "Everyone wants to be seen, everyone wants to be heard," Jenny says. With rigor and reflection in the classroom, educators can ensure that every student feels seen, heard, and challenged in their learning journey without feeling overwhelmed.
Make rigor meaningful
When you know your students’ interests and needs, you can make your classroom not only challenging, but also meaningful. Rigor should be student-centered, and educators should take an active interest in their students' lives outside the classroom. Jenny primarily focuses on teaching graphic design, but one year had a student who was interested in starting his own HVAC business.
When she learned this, she helped the student apply his graphic design skills to create a company logo and other deliverables. But she even took things a step further. She guided the student through researching and planning for his business, helping him understand how to earn his license, and enrolling in the local HVAC certification program.
Jenny explains, "Every single kid in your classroom has a story. This student of mine developed graphic design, research, and problem-solving skills in my class. But the best part was seeing how he applied those skills to something unrelated to what I taught, to something that was important to him. When I set those high expectations with my students, they know that they can use the skills I teach in a way that is meaningful for their lives and goals.”
Higher standards for you...
Jenny's approach to teaching with rigor, as the previous story shows, is about more than just challenging students academically. It's about understanding and respecting the whole student, creating meaning, and connecting academic learning to the real world. This type of classroom environment and depth of connection means that educators are also holding themselves to a higher standard and giving their best each day.
“We need to show up for our students and lead by example. We must be engaged. We must feel passionate about what we're doing, we need to challenge ourselves,” commented Jenny. That passion, Jenny points out, affects how students feel about the content you’re teaching, but also the expectations that you set for them. When you’re working hard and they can see that, they’re more likely to match your efforts.
...a better learning environment for all
Rigor isn’t just about making lessons harder; it's about making them more meaningful, engaging, and relevant to students' lives. Understanding and respecting the whole student creates a learning environment that challenges and inspires students to reach their full potential. Furthermore, creating a rigorous classroom means that you’re holding yourself to a higher standard of teaching and engagement.
Learn more from Jenny by listening to the full CERTIFIED Podcast episode .