At this step, most teachers are advised to reveal the learning objectives to the class:
“Today, we are going to study X. By the end of this class, you should know X +…”
In lectures, powerpoint slideshows, website viewings, or by simply turning to ‘old-fashioned’ textbooks, a new set of materials for students to master is normally presented in the opening stage. This might be a list of 10 new spelling words, a science or math or language concept, a classroom procedure, or any of the many topics that an elementary school teacher is expected to teach. Give students an overview of what they will learn and if possible, relate it to a context of things they have already studied or know.
Tip: Simplify!
One key teaching technique for presenting new material is simplification. Simplifying material into ‘bite-sized chunks’ does not mean infantilizing it – you don’t have to make a lesson into ‘baby talk.’ You can go for greater depth by focusing on a single concept. While you may wish that your group could all master an entire book in a single class, one page at a time usually works better.
Try thinking like an advertiser – try to pack whole concepts into short, memorable phrases. “Brand” your new material and bring out its importance and reasons for students to be interested. If McDonald’s can sell millions of burgers by saying, “I’m lovin’ it” and Coca-Cola is “the real thing,” then simplifying to make things easy to remember can be a very persuasive and useful teaching tool.
