Not only is it a frustration for students but also a cost for business and our economy as a whole. We need to prepare young people for high-quality jobs. These strategies work together to connect the content of knowledge with the context of application. Students then can process new information in a way that makes sense to them because it fits in their frames of reference. In a CTL learning environment, students discover meaningful relationships between abstract ideas and practical applications in a real world context.
Students internalize concepts through discovery, reinforcement, and interrelationships.
Contextual Teaching and Learning creates a team, whether in the classroom, lab, worksite, or on the banks of a river. Effective contextual learning results from a complex interaction of teaching methods, content, situation, and timing. Education institutions must invest resources in faculty training programs which emphasize contextual learning. Experience at the secondary level has shown that faculty who attempt contextually based courses with no training become frustrated. Contextual learning adds new dimensions to a teacher's responsibilities, including courses that become more interactive, applied, and laboratory-oriented than traditional courses.