Resonate With Students

A literacy newsletter introduced me to the Duarte blog, which is devoted to learning how to make effective class presentations.

One of Nancy Duarte's concepts is to find ways to create a STAR moment in your lesson design -- "Something They'll Always Remember." These moments can come from five possible sources:

• A Memorable Dramatization - might involve a prop or re-enactment to explain your point so the device becomes the defining moment for the learning -- something they'll walk away with.
• A Repeatable Sound Bite - the quick clip or quip that recurs and drives home the message. Recall the slogan "Where's the beef?"
• An Evocative Visual - an image may be the seed for a moment they'll always remember -- a compelling image or photo.
• An Emotive Story - an incredible story that becomes unforgettable because it's linked to a big idea that the learners make meaningful to them.
• A Startling Statistic - this can be elevated to "memorable status" by setting one data bit apart, enlarging it in some way, and giving the class the time to absorb it.
  

In any lesson, it's hard to resist the urge to cover as much ground as possible. There's never enough time to say and make all the points you want to make, yet the most important question probably isn't "Have I covered everything?" if you're trying to create a lesson that moves your class to change. instead, "Have I created a STAR moment here?" pushes you to decide what the defining concept or point is and work to highlight it so your class takes it with them.

Check out this video of Nancy's on the power of storytelling and perhaps you'll add her blog to your Google reader.