Heroes inspire. Everyone wants to be associated with ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary feats. Recently, educators have recognized the importance of using heroes to teach children various topics, ranging from values to science.
Tony R. Sanchez, assistant professor of social studies education at Purdue University, recognizes that using role models and heroes can be effective when teaching about values. He claims that examining the spirit of heroism serves as an invitation for students to adopt the heroic spirit themselves.
Dr. Mae Jemison, who was the first African-American in space, created the Jemison Group, which aims to bring technological advancements to people across the globe and hopefully nourish students’ love for science, and is one of the heroes that teachers should use to inspire their students. A few years ago, West Clayton Elementary School invited the astronaut to give a talk about space travel, and after the visit, a significant number of students became more engaged in the subject matter.
The use of heroes in the classroom is becoming more and more popular. However, careful thought should be put into the curriculum design if educators want to ensure that the method is effective.
Instructors need to find a suitable hero to discuss. There is not one generic hero that can be used across all subject matters, although heroes; by and large, have universal attributes. For instance, it may be more appropriate to use Michael Jordan as a role model when teaching sports rather than using somebody like Oprah Winfrey.
Regardless of who the hero is, it is important that the instructor does not take away their
humanistic elements. They are not super humans, and it is important for children and young adults to understand this. Students need to know that these heroes can be their idols; they can be the person in their lives who always puts things into perspective, who makes sound decisions based on careful reasoning, and who thinks of the greater good more than self-interest. Students need to be able to see the hero potential in themselves by seeing the humanistic side to their heroes.
Whether science, English, art, or any other subject, using real-life heroes to teach the subject is an effective way to inspire students to pursue their interests and stay engaged in academia. Let's start to normalize kids having academic heroes instead of idolizing popular culture icons.