The Master Teacher Blog

Every day we face the challenge of guiding students to make the transition from what they were doing before they entered our class, to getting them ready to engage in what we have planned. Some students may come to us filled with energy and excitement over news they just heard. Others may be distracted by an unfinished conversation. Some may be stressed by conflict with a friend. Still, others will show up with other emotions, distractions, and concerns.

Of course, we cannot always know where our students’ minds are, but we need to find ways to settle their emotions, spark their thinking, and help them shift their focus and get ready to learn. We know that the first minutes of class are crucial to making or breaking the quality of learning we have planned.

Consequently, we need to move quickly to gain their attention and focus their thinking. The good news is that there are several quick, high potential strategies we can tap. Here are six options to consider.

Two truths and a myth. Engaging students in assessing what is true and what is not can be a great way to focus student attention and capture their curiosity. Students might be allowed to discuss their assessments with classmates and develop arguments to support their positions. Throughout the lesson, you might point out elements of truth and hint at what people often assume or believe that is not true. You might conclude the lesson by returning to the truths and myth to discuss what students have learned and explore the likely basis of the myth.

Solve this challenge. Consider inviting students to solve a problem, question, or challenge related to what they will be learning. Obviously, students are likely to struggle to find success with something which they have yet to learn about. However, their exploration and struggle can be great way to hook their curiosity and build commitment to tune in to your instruction. You might return to the activity at the conclusion of the lesson to debrief and help students see how what they have learned has empowered them to find solutions that eluded them before the lesson.

Make a prediction. You might provide a brief description of what students will be learning. As examples, you might provide a hint or share a mystery about an historic event, a surprising invention, or accidental discovery. Students might predict what event, invention, or discovery is involved or they might predict how the event relates to what they will be learning. As the lesson unfolds, students are likely to be paying close attention to reveal whether their prediction is correct. You might conclude the lesson by revisiting the predictions and discussing with students whether their predictions were correct and what they have learned.

Dump your knowledge bucket.  One of the best ways to build strong and sustained recall of information is to have students occasionally write or discuss everything they know about a topic, concept, or skill. The technique, known as “retrieval practice”, can also be an effective way to have students refresh their prior knowledge in preparation for additional learning. The twin benefits of this activity make it a great choice to prepare students for learning.

One question to explore. Present students with three to four sentences describing what they are about to learn. You might share uses, questions, or interesting facts about what lies ahead and then ask students to consider and write a question that occurs to them in response to what you shared. Consider sampling questions to gain a sense of what students are wondering. Where you can, embed answers to some of the questions in your instruction. At the conclusion of the lesson, return to the questions and discuss with students those that have been answered and which questions remain. You might answer some additional questions or commit to address them in future lessons.

What experts/famous people say or do. Find quotes or short stories about the topic or skill to be learned from people whose names or work students are likely to recognize. You might share their words about why the concept is essential to understand, how someone uses the concept in their work or creative endeavors, or a recent discovery about or new application of a skill or concept. As examples, you might share a story about how a grammar mistake led to confusion or misinterpretation in an important event, a quote about how a math concept was instrumental in early space travel, or a scientific discovery that changed the way we understand a key force in nature.  Giving students context and making connections to famous people or people they admire can be a useful way to create readiness for learning.

Think of these strategies as starting places to try and then modify to meet your needs and respond to the age and maturity of your students. The keys are to have the activity connect with what you want students to learn, give students a role to build engagement, and follow up to provide closure and reinforce what students have learned.

Most of us probably agree that today’s students have shorter attention spans than students did in the past. The research on whether this is true is mixed. However, one thing is certain: students are more distracted today than their predecessors. Their brains also face greater competition for attention than students in previous generations.

Yet, our ability to teach students and their ability to learn and remember are heavily dependent on their being able to focus and absorb information. To be clear, when we refer to attention span, we mean the amount of time we can maintain our focus or awareness toward a given stimulus such as a person, an object, a task, or an idea. However, as simple as this definition sounds, there is more involved than persistent attention. The environment within which we are attempting to focus matters. The more distractions, the more difficult it is to pay attention.

Some students come to us with strong attention skills. Other students do not. However, the ability to focus and maintain attention are learnable skills. With instruction, support, and coaching we can help students to become better at focusing and sustaining attention. Meanwhile, we can create conditions that make giving attention easier. The combination of these two approaches can make a significant difference in the length and strength of our students’ attention spans. Here are eight strategies we can employ to provide support and help students to build their capacity to focus.

Coach students to avoid multi-tasking. The ubiquitous presence of technology makes resisting multi-tasking even more difficult for today’s students. Yet, multi-tasking—or task switching as a more apt descriptor—is a major culprit in reducing attention spans. Having multiple screens open and maintaining a virtual conversation with friends while completing homework, for example, is a recipe for poor performance. Students’ ability to maintain focus is heavily dependent on doing one thing at a time.

Reduce the number, variety, and strength of distractions. The array of potential distractions competing for the attention of students is wide. The presence of cellphones, smart watches, and other technology are obvious sources of distraction. However, excessive wall decorations and clutter in the classroom can create competition for students’ attention. Background noise, lighting, and other environmental elements can add to the challenge of focusing and maintaining attention.

Limit cognitive overload. Cognitive overload occurs when students attempt or are asked to take in and make sense of more information than their brains can handle. When students’ brains become overloaded, they are likely to miss important information, become confused, and fail to recall what they learn. We can help students to increase their attention and stay focused by making our directions simple, brief, and concise.  We also might break larger, more complex tasks into small, manageable segments and have students focus on the work in sequence rather than tackling everything at once.

Build in brain breaks. Breaks during learning offer more benefits than we might think. Beyond giving students an opportunity to stand and stretch, breaks can refresh and reenergize the brain’s capacity to focus. Breaks also support the brain to develop mental clarity. Interestingly, the brain often continues to work on its own to organize and make sense of what students are learning during short breaks.  A brief stand-up break and accompanying stretch can make a big difference to maintaining focus and expanding attention spans.  

Set specific goals and build attention persistence. The presence of goals that students find meaningful can create energy and build persistence to build their attending capacity. Strategies such as the Pomodoro technique, in which students focus for a predetermined amount of time and then take a break, build focusing “muscle” while creating a sense of urgency and purpose. Over time, students can increase the length of time they practice focusing and vary the topics, objects, and ideas on which they focus.  

Design attention-supporting activities. Our brains are naturally inclined to respond to certain stimuli. Stories are natural attention attractors. Throughout most of history, stories were a primary source of learning. Physical movement connected to learning, such as gallery walks and role playing can be effective attention sustainers. For some students, soft music and even the sound of a metronome can help them to sustain focus. However, it is best to check with students or try music and rhythm with them before making it a regular practice.

Employ multi-coding. We can assist students to accelerate their learning by employing more than one input strategy to support concepts and content. For example, students might listen to a mini lesson, draw representations of what they are learning, explain their understanding to another student, or physically act out an interpretation of what they are learning. Not only does multi-coding help students to expand their attention spans, they also are likely to understand and remember more of what they learn.

Build in purpose and utility. Students are more likely to remain focused when they see a reason for or value in what they are learning. The presence of a reason to pay attention can be a strong motivator and sustainer of focus. Similarly, when students are learning something that will empower or enable them to do something with what they learn, attention is much easier to sustain. Giving students choices in their learning also can help to sustain and expand attention as students are more likely to commit and persist with activities they have chosen.  

Learning does not happen unless students pay attention. Sometimes we need to manipulate and manage the environment to make it easier for students to do so. At other times we need to teach and coach students to build and strengthen their ability to remain focused. Regardless, our success and the success of our students depend on the choices we make and the actions we take to ensure, build, and sustain their attention.

The holidays and much anticipated winter break will soon be upon us. The pace will quicken, distractions will increase, and expectations will grow to have everything completed and perfect. Yet, the number of hours in the day will remain the same.

If we do nothing to anticipate, plan, and manage what lies ahead, we can expect our sense of pressure, stress and frustration to grow. The likelihood of us feeling overwhelmed is high.  However, there are several steps we can take to make the season manageable, even enjoyable. Consider these seven “R’s” for remaining sane and in control as you develop plans and decide how you will manage in the days ahead.

Rely on daily and weekly routines.

We can be tempted to loosen or even abandon daily routines in the face of special activities, rehearsals, and other holiday related activities. However, for many students, daily routines are what keep them focused and in control of their emotions and behavior. Students are accustomed to a sequence of activities and knowing what comes next. Varying from routines can invite lack of focus, off task behavior, and even loss of emotional control, especially for young students. Maintaining as much of our daily and weekly routines as practical can serve students and us well.

Revisit behavior expectations.

Even though we spent time and effort to establish expectations early in the year and we have reinforced them as the year has unfolded, now is a good time to revisit our expectations and any expectations we developed with the input and participation of students. We might reinforce the importance of remaining focused despite the excitement and distractions that come with the season. We can also remind students that respect and responsibility are always in season. 

Remain focused on learning.

Students are more likely to remain engaged if we continue to present them with content and learning activities that are challenging, engaging, and relevant. We might borrow themes and topics that are relevant to the season, but engaging students in worthwhile learning activities can prevent many of the common challenges associated with holidays and school breaks. 

Reorganize and sequence major tasks and responsibilities.

We also need to give attention to our personal and professional workload and manage it strategically. We might establish due dates for major projects a week or two in advance of the final push to the break so that we can finish grading before the final rush overwhelms us.  We might plan activities that have students reviewing and providing feedback on each other’s work rather than demanding excessive attention from us. We also need to pay attention to tasks and responsibilities we have apart from work and how we can sequence and balance them to preserve our time, energy, and attention.  We need to remember that the level of pressure and stress we feel also has an impact on student attention and behavior. One thing is certain: If we fail to manage activities and responsibilities, they will pile up and start to manage us. 

Rally with colleagues.

We do not have to create, plan, and carry out every task and activity on our own. Now is a great time to collaborate with coworkers to design projects, share resources, and lend a hand in other ways. Choosing to share the load can make everyone’s life easier and the work more fun. 

Relax and be flexible.

We know that at this time of year not everything will go as planned. There will be distractions, surprises, and interruptions. Expecting perfection is a recipe for frustration and stress. We can let go of what we cannot control, offer forgiveness for others’ lack of planning, and expect that not all communication will be timely and complete. In short: Go with the flow and try to enjoy the ride. 

Reserve time for yourself.

We cannot be our best selves and do our best work when we feel exhausted and overwhelmed. Choosing to spend time with family and friends, maintaining an exercise routine, and getting enough sleep can give us the energy and motivation we need to keep going and remain present through all the chaos the holidays and upcoming break bring. We need to take care of ourselves if we hope to be ready to take care of others.

The holiday season is a time of excitement and anticipation. The upcoming winter break promises time to relax and unwind. However, the days and weeks leading up to these anticipated experiences can be filled with unrealistic expectations and pressure. Now is a good time to anticipate, prepare, be ready to manage what lies ahead.

Convincing students to learn requires more than calling the class to order. We need to gain students’ attention, build their motivation, and capture their engagement. As obvious as this challenge may be, it is not always easy. Of course, students at times may be naturally interested and ready to learn what we want to teach. More often, we need to design an introduction that stimulates interest, generates questions, or surprises students in ways that lead them to choose to learn.

Fortunately, there are several “tried and true” strategies we can utilize to increase the probability that students will respond in ways that build the momentum necessary to sustain a teaching and learning cycle. Let’s explore seven potential starting places to consider, depending on the age and maturity of our students and the content we intend to teach.

Have students investigate before teaching a new concept or skill. Multiple research studies have shown that when students try to solve a problem or find answers on their own, they become more motivated to be taught approaches and processes that lead to success. For example, before teaching proportions, we might present students with the challenge of serving ten people equally with a recipe that serves four. Or we might teach the concept of main idea by having students read a paragraph, pick out the most important sentence, and discuss their selection with a classmate.

Introduce new content by discussing its purpose and establishing learning goals. We know that when students see a purpose for their learning, they are more likely to pay attention, but when the purpose is paired with a specific learning goal motivation and commitment will grow. As examples, we might note how choices people have made in the past shape today’s world and use that concept to present the goal that requires students to develop a museum exhibit showing how a decision from history impacts their lives. Or we might discuss why it is important to understand the power of persuasion techniques and give students the goal of writing a short ad that applies at least two persuasion strategies.

Offer meaningful choice and autonomy. We know that when students can make choices about their learning, they tend to take greater ownership and display higher levels of commitment. When combined with reasonable autonomy over what and how they will learn, learning choices take on new meaning and depth. Opportunities to engage in well-designed project-based learning activities, choices about how students will demonstrate their learning, and options for the level of challenge students want to pursue can significantly increase readiness to learn and drive greater commitment and persistence. These experiences also often become memorable for students because of the rich experiences the learning process offered.

Combine learning a new skill with the promise of students using it to create something new or unique. We typically introduce new skills through explanation and demonstration. We then judge whether students have learned the skill by having them apply it. However, when we take the process one step further and invite students to use the new skill to create something, we build a level of connection and ownership that can drive learning to new levels. As examples, we might introduce the mechanics of writing dialogue that sounds natural and then have students create a short play or scene in which the characters engage in and resolve an argument. Or we might introduce the concept of controlled experiments and then have students design and conduct their own experiment, such as testing the characteristics of paper airplanes that fly the farthest.

Link in-school learning with out-of-school life. Students become more interested when they see how what they are learning connects to what they see as “real life.” By pointing out connections and using examples from out-of-school life we can increase the relevance students see in what they are asked to learn. Additionally, students become better at making connections between formal learning and informal life. As examples, we might ask students if they would like to be more effective at convincing their parents to extend their curfew, allow them to apply for a job, or agree to some other request, and then show them how they can use data, argument, and other persuasion techniques to become more successful. Or we could discuss with students the songs that seem to “stay in their heads.”  We can then follow up by teaching the roles of rhythm and melody in music composition.

Tie new learning to emotions. Emotions are powerful drivers of learning. In fact, the presence of strong emotions does not just make learning more meaningful, it extends recall of what is learned—often for a lifetime. The emotions can be happy or sad. They may stimulate caring or generate outrage. Whether emotions are positive or negative is less important than their strength. As examples, we might ask students to think about and describe a time when they felt especially happy, sad, lonely, or angry and then introduce them to how poets use words and structure to capture and communicate feelings. We might follow-up by having students write about their selected experience using techniques practiced by poets. Or we could have students reflect on times they have felt their heart race because of excitement or nervousness and then introduce the physical-neuro-emotional connections that produce this experience.

Introduce new content with shock, surprise, or intrigue. Unexpected, unusual, and unique information and experiences build interest and stimulate curiosity. When we tap these elements, we can pull students in to hear an explanation and beg for more information. As examples, we might share with students that in the 18^th century many doctors believed that diseases were spread by smell. Consequently, they carried flowers or wore nose cones containing fragrances to ward off diseases. We might use this information to challenge students to investigate other practices throughout history or even today that are based on faulty assumptions. Or we might present a mystery object that relates to what we want students to learn and ask them to speculate on what it is and how it might be used.

Finding ways to help students get ready to learn can be as important to success as the content and skills we want to teach. By taking some time to capture students’ attention and stimulate their curiosity, we can make the work of teaching and learning easier and more effective. All we need is some imagination and a little planning.

We know that initial learning and lasting recall are heavily influenced by the strategies students tap to build understanding, create meaning, and store information in memory. The better the learning strategies students possess and use, the stronger their learning and the more they will remember.

Of course, many students come to us with strong learning practices and habits—others do not. We need to monitor and coach students to choose and employ strategies and approaches that can work best for them. We can add even more value when we share with students different ways they can make their existing learning approaches even more effective. Consider these common learning strategies and how small tweaks can make them even more effective.

From note taking to thought capturing. Students can increase their understanding and recall of lesson content by taking notes in the form of outlines, key information and insights, and examples. Note taking also provides students with an opportunity to process information as they are exposed to it.

Tweak: Coach students to combine note taking with charts, diagrams, flow charts, and even pictures to capture what they want to learn. By combining words, images, and graphics, students access multiple entry points for learning. The process, known as dual coding, can increase the amount of information students absorb and strengthen and lengthen recall of what they learn.

From re-reading to recalling. Students often re-read content they hope to learn, believing that repetition will increase understanding. While repeated exposure to information can increase familiarity, it does not necessarily lead to deeper understanding.

Tweak: Coach students to pause after reading a passage and try to recall the most important information, note what is clear to them, what does not seem clear, and how what they have read might be important. This step moves learning from repetition to recall and from exposure to retrieval. The result will be deeper understanding and lengthened memory retrieval.  

From teacher goals to shared goals. Each lesson we design for students focuses on a learning goal. Sharing our learning goals with students can help students understand where lessons are headed. However, they often still see the lesson goal as ours, not theirs.

Tweak: Beyond sharing the learning goal, we can have students repeat the goal in their own words and explain how they will know if they have reached the goal. This tweak helps students to see the learning path and builds confidence that they can achieve it. The result is that students see the goal as their goal, not just ours.  

From self-testing to error analysis. We know that self-testing is a powerful way for students to check their understanding, identify areas where more learning or practice is needed, and build learning confidence. Self-testing also helps students understand new content at deeper levels.

Tweak: Encourage students to take self-testing one step further and code any errors. For example, they might note that an incorrect answer was the result of lack of attention to detail, missing vocabulary, or misunderstanding of a concept. This tweak moves self-testing from general learning feedback to diagnosis of causes and adjustments to drive improvement.

From mnemonics to narratives. When students need to memorize lists, remember sequences, and recall key elements or factors, they often find mnemonics to be useful. Mnemonics can help to organize information and create memory shortcuts, even though they may seem and sound nonsensical.

Tweak: Coach students to create stories or mental pictures to accompany the mnemonics they adopt or create. When mnemonics are accompanied by imagery and associated with emotions they become easier to remember and generate longer recall.

We want our students to have every learning advantage possible. By teaching and reinforcing effective learning approaches and strategies we can accelerate their learning and memory building. When we share ways to make their “go-to” strategies even more effective, we can make their learning easier and long lasting.

It is a fact that much of what students learn in school is quickly forgotten. We often find that we need to return to previously learned content and skills to refresh and restore what students have learned. However, not all types of learning and learning experiences require as much reinforcement and repetition to solidify them in students’ memories.

When learning experiences are accompanied by certain “learning drivers” they become more memorable and can be recalled long after other learning experiences are forgotten. We can strengthen and lengthen students’ recall of new learning by tapping these drivers in our instruction and the design of learning engagements we present.

Here are five powerful types of learning experiences that stimulate longer recall:

• Significant effort is required. The adage— “Easy come, easy go”—can be applied to learning that is quickly and effortlessly gained. The brain tends to remember learning experiences that require effort and struggle more often than learning that comes easily. The experience of a “productive struggle” requires focus, effort, and persistence. The brain interprets these energy investments as a signal that what is being learned must be important and should be stored for later recall and use. Challenging concepts, difficult problems, and complex cases studies are examples of learning that may require greater effort investment and lead to longer recall. Of course, what may represent struggle for some students may require less effort for others, so we need to consider student readiness as we design learning challenges.
• Emotions drive the experience. Emotions have been described as the “hand maidens” of learning. When learning experiences are accompanied by strong emotional components, they tend to stick. Unfortunately, positive and negative emotions can have a similar impact. An uncomfortable, frustrating, or anger producing learning experience can be recalled with equal or greater intensity as a positive, empowering, reinforcing, and enjoyable learning experience. Compelling stories, delightful surprises, inspiring insights, and meaningful experiences can be great emotional anchors to help students recall what they have learned.
• Learning is self-discovered. One of the most powerful and memorable types of learning experiences is the “aha moment.” According to a recent study of learning generated by a new insight, discovery, or connection, or “aha moments” often more than double the strength and length of memory compared to most other types of learning experiences. The suddenness, certainty, intensity, and internal reward associated with “aha moments” can be so strong that they reorganize how the brain perceives and processes information associated with the learning. Obviously, “aha moments” are personal experiences that are generated through personal interest, readiness, and engagement. However, they can be stimulated by instructional strategies such as Socratic questioning, sharing analogies, tapping metaphors, and creating cognitive dissonance. 
• Learning is a social experience. Learning often is more meaningful and memorable when it occurs in a social context. Interactions with and learning from others creates connections and context for new learning. Learning that involves social interaction activates language and social processing areas of the brain and makes what is learned easier to recall. Navigating differences in perceptions and accessing the understanding of others can make learning meaningful and memorable. Activities such as discussions, debates, group projects, and peer teaching can become powerful and long-recalled learning experiences. 
• Learning is actively generated. When students are actively engaged in the process of learning, they tend to recall what they have learned longer than they do when they have only merely read, been told, or observed the information. Active learning typically engages multiple senses and activates multiple regions of the brain. The more ways in which students experience learning, the more memorable it becomes. When students participate in simulations, role-playing, project completion, real-world problems, and other active learning, what they learn tends to stick. 

Obviously, these teaching and learning strategies exist within a context. They are most powerful when the content and skills students are asked to learn seem relevant, meaningful, and useful. Also, when we want to quickly refresh learning gained through these strategies, we can tap the experience students had while learning as well as the content or skill involved. 

Frustration around the expectation to entertain while educating has grown in frequency and intensity as technology, social media, and other sources of entertainment increasingly compete for the attention of our students. Fortunately, we do not necessarily have to choose one or the other. We can provide students with experiences that feature both entertainment and education. It is possible to hold two ideas in our thinking at the same time. We can focus on standards and learning goals while seeking the best ways to achieve them.

The Cambridge dictionary defines edutainment as “The process of entertaining people at the same time that you are teaching them something, and the products such as television programs, software, and others that do this.” Edutainment might be thought of as a continuum featuring entertainment and education. There is a time and place for edutainment and time for an exclusive focus on learning. Of course, overreliance on edutainment can lead students to believe that learning should always be colorful, entertaining, and fun. They can reach the conclusion that they are the audience and educators are the entertainers.

Stories, analogies, humor, examples, videos, role play scenarios, games, and simulations can provide a context, stimulate interest, and present crucial information to support learning. However, we must be careful not to focus so heavily on the supporting activities that shortchange or abandon the intended learning. Edutainment might be thought of as a resource and strategy to support a learning effort or activity. It is not pedagogy.

Building motivation and activating engagement play important roles in learning, but they are not learning. They can prepare students for learning, but they are not ends in themselves. Our work is to help students to develop cognitive connections and structure. This work requires thinking, reflection, and application. It may feature multiple attempts before success is achieved. It can be enjoyable and rewarding, but it is not always fun.

So how might we think about the role of edutainment in our classrooms without assuming that we must be entertainers? Here are six elements to consider:

1. Think of edutainment as a strategy. We might use it as a hook to build interest, a means to renew or build background knowledge, or an experience to make a connection.
2. Start with learning goals and outcomes. If we choose to engage in or enlist some form of edutainment, we need to be certain that it aligns with and supports what we want students to learn. If we don’t and they fail to make a connection, it is just entertainment.
3. Include multiple learning modes. The more ways in which we expose and engage students to hints, previews, visuals, sounds, and actions related to learning, the wider the range of students we are likely to engage.
4.  Search for emotional hooks. Some of the best options for engaging students involve love, hate, outrage, compassion, irony, intrigue, and other emotional connections. Compelling stories, persuasive analogies, heart-tugging examples, and other invitations for students to care can generate surprisingly strong motivation and engagement.
5. Find ways to involve students in creating the experience. Students might design games, develop role play scenarios, create videos, or other engaging activities to introduce and support learning.
6. Follow up edutainment activities. The value of this type of activity is found in the connections and reflections that students make. Observations, analyses, discussions, and even debates can move students from passive listening to active thinking.

Meanwhile, we need to be mindful of several cautions:

• Avoid activities that are overly simplistic and superficial. Our goal is to prepare students for the learning that lies ahead. Activities that lack depth and connections can leave students confused and unable to grasp the intended purpose.
• Resist over-engineering edutainment activities. Time and other resources are precious. Too much time spent preparing and conducting introductory activities can distract and compromise the focus on the time available for learning.
• Use edutainment sparingly. Overuse of fun, entertaining activities can reduce students’ attention spans and leave them impatient and intolerant of extended and rigorous learning.
• Make sure that students have access to necessary resources. Some students may not have the technology and other material resources necessary to participate. Check to be certain all students can participate before presenting an edutainment experience.
• Don’t confuse entertainment and instruction. The real work of learning comes after an edutainment experience. Explicit instruction, reflection, practice, application, and formative assessment are the elements that make learning happen.

The bottom line is that educators do not have to be entertainers. However, finding ways to engage students in experiences that make learning more interesting, intriguing, and compelling can build intrinsic motivation and support deeper engagement.

The workshop model of lesson construction is designed to focus student attention and activities on building understanding, developing ownership, and fostering independence. It also offers the advantage of application across disciplines and subject areas and has been proven to be successful when put into practice.

While there are variations in the ways workshop activities are labeled and described, they share core elements that help to accelerate, solidify, and extend learning. The following are six learning and teaching components common to widely accepted workshop approaches, and a description of how each component accelerates the learning process.

Component #1: Prepare students with engaging opening activities. We might start with a compelling narrative that reveals the relevance and importance of what students will be learning. The activity might reveal and reinforce connections to prior learning. It could be a challenge activity that invites students to solve a problem or find an answer that will be revealed in the upcoming lesson. This activity also might be a pre-assessment task that reveals what students need to review or may still need to learn.

Accelerator: Preparation activities activate thinking and help students get ready to learn.

Component #2: Present brief, focused, relevant mini lessons. Lessons that generate the greatest amount of learning are not long. In fact, maximum attention and information absorption typically extend only for about 10-20 minutes depending on the age and maturity of students, the complexity of the content, and the compelling nature of what students will learn. While we might be tempted to extend our explanation, provide greater detail, or delve into specifics, research shows that students’ attention will begin to wane when the information we share extends beyond this relatively short time span. The key is to discern what is most important for students to learn next, organize the content in the most understandable and manageable format, and present the information with energy, commitment, and authenticity. Mini lessons do not have to be provided through direct instruction. Flexible strategies and variations can be employed to expose students to new learning content.

Accelerator: Short, targeted instruction taps into students’ energy and attention while they are at their peak.

Component #3: Provide opportunities for reflection. When the lesson is finished, students need time to absorb and make sense of what they have heard, seen, and experienced. Often called “brain breaks,” these are important opportunities for students to place what they are learning in working memory where it is sorted and prioritized for storage in long-term memory. We might have students physically move, engage in a mindfulness activity, or another activity that does not require significant mental energy. As little as 3-5 minutes can be adequate to accomplish this goal.

Accelerator: Students’ brains immediately begin to organize and store new information in working memory.

Component #4: Design opportunities for students to interact with what they are learning. Activities such as peer teaching, think-pair-share, and drawing pictural representations and mind maps help students to process new information, strengthen their grasp of information, and articulate their understanding of what they are learning. Students may work alone, in pairs, small groups, or large groups, depending on the content and activity.

Accelerator: Students practice sorting new information, clearing up areas of confusion or misunderstanding, and readying new learning for long-term memory.

Component #5: Arrange for application of new information or skills. Using new skills and applying new understanding to relevant, purposeful, and challenging activities further solidifies learning and builds confidence in using new knowledge. Practice activities also provide additional opportunities to clear up remaining confusion and dispel any misconceptions.

Accelerator: The shift to application and practice completes the transition from learning dependence to independence.

Component #6: Debrief for clarity and understanding. As a concluding activity, debriefing provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their learning. Reviewing strategies, noting areas of struggle, and owning progress and new understanding helps to complete the learning process and move new information toward long-term memory. This can also be an opportunity to identify areas or elements of learning that still need support and review in the future.

Accelerator: Debriefing helps students to understand their learning journey, develop ownership of what they have learned, and provide us with feedback to use as we plan future instruction.

The workshop approach also offers the flexibility to be compressed or expanded depending on the content, amount of time available, and student readiness. Some components might be introduced one day and followed by remaining components the next day. Or, if time allows, the entire process can be accomplished in a single session.

Think about how you already employ elements of the workshop model. Are there areas or aspects you might strengthen or add? How might you adjust your approach depending on the content you teach, the age and maturity of your students, and schedule constraints you face?

Some of the most important tasks to accomplish during the first weeks of school are to learn what students know and can recall, where they may need to review and refresh their learning, and what will need to be retaught before moving forward with new content. Of course, it is best if we can engage students in activities that generate the information we need, while also reinforcing what students already know and building their confidence. A bonus is to have the process be interesting, engaging, and enjoyable. 

There are many potential approaches and strategies for gaining the information we seek. Here are five activities to consider.

Have students build “This I know” walls. For this activity, briefly refer to or describe a concept or skill that students have learned previously. Then ask students to write what they remember on sticky notes and place them on a wall poster you have labeled with the target concept or skill. You may have to offer some gentle probing and nudging to assist students to inventory their memories but resist reteaching at this point. Once students have finished placing their sticky notes, ask students to help you group the notes into subtopics or connected ideas. Follow with a discussion and debrief about what students know and where there are gaps that will require further attention. This activity can be a catalyst to ignite curiosity and motivation for students to fill in their understanding and be ready to move their learning forward.  

Provide student teams with blank or partially completed graphic organizers, timelines, or outlines to complete. Identify a previously learned multi-component concept, multi-part skill, sequence of events, multi-step process, or other content that is comprised of multiple parts, steps, or components. Have teams fill in the blanks with what they know about the components or relationships. The activity might involve a scientific process, a series of historical events, or a mathematical concept, or other content important to future learning. Depending on the age and maturity of your students and the concepts and skills involved, you might fill in some key blanks and gaps in advance to give students hints and guidance. It also might be advantageous to allow students to access resources that can assist them with the task but not immediately provide the answers.   

Design an information scavenger hunt. Create a list of questions that tap into learning from the past year that can help to set the stage for learning that lies ahead. Short answer and fill in the blank questions may work best for the purpose of this activity. Divide students into teams of two or three. In the first phase of the activity, students will respond to the questions they already know the answers to, without accessing resources other than their team members. When they are finished have them designate the answers they generated and with which all team members agreed. Responses to which there is not agreement should be deferred to the second phase. When students are ready, designate resources they can utilize to answer the remaining questions. You might limit the options to the textbook, tangible resources in the classroom, other teams, or you may open the options for students to search online. When the teams are finished, spend some time debriefing the activity, including what they already knew, what they learned, and where they remain uncertain. This activity can be a good stimulator for recall of past learning while also providing you with information about what may need to be reviewed and retaught before moving forward.

Give low stakes quizzes with a twist. Rather than only collecting question responses related to past learning, provide space next to each question for students to indicate whether they are certain their answer is correct, sort of sure, not sure at all. By collecting this next level of information, you can discern where students are solid and confident with past learning, where they have some recollection but may need review, and areas where more extensive review or reteaching will be necessary. Armed with this information, you can plan what needs to be reviewed and retaught, form flexible groups for instruction, and decide when students are ready to move forward with new learning.

Create retrospective anchor charts. Identify key concepts and skills that students typically struggle to recall or likely will need refreshing before they are ready to move forward. Capturing this information in a few anchor charts and posting them as you introduce new content will make it convenient to provide students with real time reminders and support you to offer quick reviews for students. They can also provide subtle reminders for students to access if they need reminders to fill in some gaps but do not need reteaching.

Armed with the information we have collected, we can plan the next steps in instruction and decide how best to group students in the initial weeks of school. Of course, any of these activities might be employed or repeated later in the year when we are ready to introduce new content or skills and need to know what students already know and can do.