ABSTRACT
“What is in this learning for me?” This is the unspoken question in many students’ minds when a lesson or unit of study is presented. “What difference will this make in my life?” is another fair question implicit in student response to classroom activities. Sometimes the content and/or the presentation are so inherently interesting that students become motivated despite not sensing the relevance. At other times, the relevance takes time to be recognized, as in the cases of poetry or original writing. However, students’ not having the need-to-know curriculum content can be a barrier to achievement at every level and in all subjects.
