Teacherscribe’s Teaching Tip #31
Luckily for us, there are a few ways to lift the
curse of knowledge. Here are the last 4 (of seven) ways to make learning
easier for your students.
4.
Narratives. Tell a
great story. This one is all me. Students might not recall much
about MLA formatting or what sources they used in their MGRP, but they sure
will recall my story about Barney or several stories about “Jack ass” Lance.
Build narratives into our lessons.
5.
Analogies and examples.
Another one that is right down my alley. Analogies and examples
simply aid our abilities to latch on and retain a concept, especially abstract
concepts. I’ll never forget one of my science teachers using an analogy
of bowling balls on a trampoline to explain the concept of gravity in our solar
system.
6.
Novelty. When you
give students a rush from something original or unique, you are activating
dopamine which gives us a rush. This is why every time I have a scavenger
hunt, kids never walk orderly down the hall. They are in a mad rush to
accomplish the challenge! But I need to do far more of this!
7.
Teach Facts. Or as
Dr. Reynolds put it back at BSU, activate schema!!! I don’t know if I do
this all that well, but I do know that one thing I do well – or one thing I
have a knack for – is being able to connect anything back to the lives of our
students. I don’t care if we are reading “Young Goodman Brown,” “The
Yellow Wallpaper,” The Dip, or Outliers . . . But I can make it relatable and
connect it to the every day lives of my students.
How do you use narratives, analogies/examples,
novelty and facts to make your lessons more engaging?
No comments:
Post a Comment