THE RIGHT LESSON PRESENTATION

I’ve had the opportunity to listen to some teachers teach their students and I keep wondering why some resort to rushing the topic and leaving their students confused.

Most teachers would say they had to work with the given time and the complexity of the topic would drain time if detailed explanation is given.

Going to school, employing teachers, the curriculum, writing lesson notes and everything relating to education I believe is geared towards one goal which is to impact students with the right knowledge.

Now, if your students are still left in a state of confusion after your teaching, it means the goal has been neglected.

It is therefore imperative that every child in class has an idea of what the topic is about. To achieve this the following steps should be followed.

• Know your students: It crucial to know the learning capacity of the students you’re teaching. You should be able to identify the fast learners, average learners and slow learners. This would make it easy to assess their knowledge of the topic.

• Previous knowledge: Before delving into the new topic, you should take into consideration the previous knowledge of the students which has a connection to the new topic. When this is done, the students don’t see the topic as a complex one but as an expansion of their previous knowledge. This way the topic becomes relatable and easier to learn and recall when needed.

• Choose the appropriate teaching strategy: Rigidity shouldn’t be applied to teaching. We shouldn’t adopt same teaching strategy for every topic to be taught. Make research and have a list of various teaching strategies and use the most suitable one to teach.

• Give room for discussions and questions: Rushing in and out of a lesson presentation wouldn’t give a pleasant result. We should make it a routine to allow our students make contributions and ask questions. This allows the children to be part of the learning process and not just play a dormant role.

• Evaluation/Assessment: After each class ensure you assess and evaluate your students. Don’t conclude the class by asking a general “do you understand?” question as they also would give a resounding “Yes” even when they have no idea. So make it a routine to ask questions and direct the questions to specific students. Give assignments that would require critical thinking and further learning.

When the above steps are followed, you would discover that students are able to participate actively in the lesson and learning takes place.