building great lessons: four simple ideas to engage and excite your students

Building Great Lessons

Four simple ideas to Engage and Excite your students

Meagen FarrellInstructional Designer

This was me.You might recognize my teaching style.

Engage and Excite your students

Cool School

Drool School

Read the passage that follows and find the main idea.

You only have 20 seconds.

Let’s get started...

With hocked gems financing him, our hero bravely defied all scornful laughter that tried to prevent his scheme. “Your eyes have deceived” he said. “An egg not a table correctly typifies this unexplored realm.” Now three sturdy sisters sought proof. Forging along sometimes through calm vastness, yet more often over turbulent peaks and valleys. Days became weeks as many doubters spread fearful rumors about the edge. At last from somewhere, welcomed winged creatures appeared signifying success.

What are three things you learned from the passage?

Engage first...

Write down three things you know about Christopher Columbus.

With hocked gems financing him, our hero bravely defied all scornful laughter that tried to prevent his scheme. “Your eyes have deceived” he said. “An egg not a table correctly typifies this unexplored realm.” Now three sturdy sisters sought proof. Forging along sometimes through calm vastness, yet more often over turbulent peaks and valleys. Days became weeks as many doubters spread fearful rumors about the edge. At last from somewhere, welcomed winged creatures appeared signifying success.

Now what is the main idea?

Anatomy of a Great LessonPrinciple #1 of 4: Tap Background KnowledgeEngage students by allowing them to explore what

they already know about a topic

Excite students for learning by validating their existing knowledge

Check-in #1

How engaged are you?

Reading Exercise

1.Think about U.S. cultural traditions - things that are distinctly “American.”

2.Share with your shoulder partner.

Reading Exercise

Read “The Sacred Rac” bit.ly/EEsacred

a. Stop after each paragraph

b. Write down two words that summarize what you read. I provided some guidelines for you.

c. Share with your partner before reading the next paragraph.

Anatomy of a Great LessonPrinciple #2 of 4: Actively Engage continued● Engage students by having them “do” something

with the content as they go.

● Excite students by providing a safe environment where students can “try out” their learning without fear of being “hurt.”

They may even create some meaning together that they didn’t get on their own.

Check-in #2

How engaged are you?

But what about Math?Do these first two principles even apply to math?

What are some ways we can engage students in math?

Dan Meyer - Math needs a makeoverEric Mazur - Twilight of the lecture

Engaged teaching

Math Exercise - How can we engage students in this problem?

BA

C

X

W

Y What is the area of the shaded region?

Z4 inches

How would you engage students in this problem?

Math Exercise - here’s one path

1. Find someone who had a different answer from you.

2. Convince him or her that your answer is the best answer.

What if we made it more real?

What is the area of the parts that will be in the shade?

Would this problem be more engaging?Why? Why not?

Anatomy of a Great LessonPrinciple #2 of 4 (ctd.): Actively Engage Students in the materialEngage students by providing less information and

being less helpful (rely on background knowledge).

Excite students by allowing them to teach each other and find multiple paths to the correct answer.

Check-in #3

How engaged are you?

Memory Exercise: Who’s smarter?

Two Groups:1. Virginians2. Everyone else

Follow my directions - No Cheating

Memory Exercise: Who’s smarter?

Virginians, close your eyes.

Everyone else, keep your eyes open.

You have 15 seconds to memorize as many words as possible

Memory Exercise - Everyone else

wolf carseal grasstree whaleboat fish

moose truckplane roseflower beardeer dolphin

Memory Exercise: Who’s smarter?

Write down all the words you can remember.

Don’t let the Virginians see!

Memory Exercise: Who’s smarter?

Virginians, keep your eyes open.

Everyone else, close your eyes.

You’ll have 15 seconds to memorize as many words as possible

Memory Exercise - Virginians

wolfbeardeermoose

treeflowergrassrose

sealwhaledolphinfish

boattruckplanecar

Memory Exercise: Who’s smarter?

Write down all the words you can remember.

Count up all your correct answers.

Who’s smarter? Why?

Memory Exercise - Virginians

wolfbeardeermoose

treeflowergrassrose

sealwhaledolphinfish

boattruckplanecar

Anatomy of a Great LessonPrinciple #3 of 4: Provide Organization Engage students by organizing information in a way

that makes it easy to use.

Excite students by providing a structure that lets them clearly see connections in the information.

Do you want to shop here?

Or here?

Reflection Exercise

● List several (or at least 1) things you know now that you didn’t know before?

● How will you modify one of your existing lesson based on what you know now?

Anatomy of a Great LessonPrinciple #4 of 4: Reflection Engage students by having them reflect on where

they started compared to where they are now. Ask for practical new knowledge.

Excite students by having them look at how much they have grown. Ask them to apply what they have learned.

Anatomy of a Great Lesson

Principle 1: Tap Background KnowledgePrinciple 2: Actively Engage StudentsPrinciple 3: Organize the InformationPrinciple 4: Reflection

Check-in #4

How engaged were you over the course of the presentation?

But what about Math?ResourcesDan Meyer - http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover?language=en#t-333253

Eric Mazur - http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/03/twilight-of-the-lecture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wont2v_LZ1E&feature=youtu.be