"Why do we need to learn this?" Every teacher hears it – every semester of every year. So much so, that many educators have dubbed it the The Essential Student Question. How we answer it directly affects the teacher-student relationship, as well as student participation and achievement. Giving answers like "to prepare for the test" or "because I’m required to teach it" frustrates the students and increases disengagement. These types of responses also tell the students that we really don’t have a better answer. But, how many of us actually plan instruction with those "better answers” in mind? How many of us who support multiple content areas in blended learning environments understand the “why we need to learn this," answers for each subject or course?

Connect Yourself to the Content

First, start connecting to the subject matter as life-long learners, not just as teachers. Ask yourself how you use what you learned in school; and, what were the real skills-behind-the-skills, if you will, of the courses you took. For example, thinking about high school math conjures up thoughts of theorems, postulates, and quadratic equations. While I don't remember how to solve them, I do remember going through the problem-solving process, staying focused until I could explain how I got my answer. More than anything, I needed to learn math because it taught me patience when solving problems; and, how to work through details without getting distracted.

Connect the Content to the Students

Second, connect the lessons to the characteristics of our student population. Back in the seventies, math included examples such as the ever-familiar, "a train traveling at x speed for y miles…" Bored by these types of examples, today’s students focus on money, social media, connectedness, etc. Having them use math to predict how long it will take a video to go viral (under certain circumstances) relates to their world and interests.

Connect Everything Together

Lastly, connect everything together, preferably at the individual student level. Imagine the difference in student engagement if we knew the back-stories, interests, and aptitudes of all our students and connected each of them to the content. For example, John rides an old bike everywhere. It’s his only mode of transportation and he takes pride in keeping it working and rust-free. Studying science connects to preventing rust and the chemicals necessary to clean rust off John’s bike. If John doesn't learn how to do this, his bike gets rusty, the gears won’t work, and John loses his only vehicle.

Blended, personalized learning involves more than the use of technology, new tools, or new ways of teaching. To really individualize instruction, we start with the connections that help us engage the students at a more personal level and, ultimately, provide answers to why learning any subject is important.