In the last few newsletters I’ve addressed how to slim down and optimize your content to maximize process and meaningful connection with adolescents. Now I’d like to put these key elements into a workable structure for you. In the next five newsletters I’ll explore in more depth the five phases I believe are crucial to the effectiveness and efficiency of your presentations: Introduction, Process, Synthesis, Motor, and Transition.

1. Introduction

The first phase is introduction. Your goal here is to have each teen “in the boat.” Simply put, you want to enter the next phase–process–with every teen operating at maximum engagement. We must answer the following key questions during this phase:

> What are we talking about?

> What’s expected of the teens?

> What are the ground rules?

> Why are we talking about this?

> How does this topic relate to the previous topics?

A good introduction will channel adolescents into the second and most important step–process.

2. Process

Process is to learning what digestion is to eating. It’s healthier to present adolescents with a light healthy snack of content–then allow time and freedom to interact with and take ownership of it. Only then will the content be relevant and actionable.

3. Synthesis

The third phase, synthesis, offers adolescents opportunity to make meaning of the process. The presenter or educator can facilitate synthesis by bundling together comments into likenesses, then reframing the main message after integrating the input from participants. This is a far cry from traditional approaches wherein we state our message in our terms, irrespective of the input adolescents give.

4. Motor

In the motor phase we address the all-important, oft-overlooked question: So what? How are the conclusions reached during synthesis supposed to influence teens’ decisions in the next twenty-four hours, seven days, six months? Help adolescents identify specific actions they will take based on their conclusions.

5. Transition

The fifth and final stage is the transition. Think of this as the pre-introduction to your next topic. Provide a sweeping summary of the conversation, highlighting the main points you and the teens identified. With this summary in place, you are ready to introduce the next topic.

I’m looking forward to discussing how to apply these five steps to boost the engagement and process in your work.

It’s great to be working with you to promote positive change in the lives of young people.

Best,

Andrew

Tags: adolescent health, adolescents, connecting with youth, education, effective learning, effective programs, positive change, process, student engagement

I love good coffee. Every morning I brew up a couple cups of my home roasted beans. Amazing things happen. I form sentences. I’m engaged with the day!

Good questions are caffeine for curiosity, an essential component for engaging teens. Curiosity is an appetite to see and understand. It’s constructive confusion. Too often we provide answers. There is no confusion and therefore no curiosity. By asking good questions–questions that spring forth from our own curiosity–we cultivate fertile ground for learning and positive change.

But all questions are not alike. Basic communication classes teach that a good question is an open-ended question: one beginning with what, how, when, why, and where. Those questions one can answer with yes or no are not good questions, or so goes the rule.

But here’s a conundrum: Open-ended questions are not always good questions and close-ended questions can be brilliant. “What are the three most common sexually transmitted diseases?” These kinds of questions drive students to a prepared, static answer. Now consider how a close-ended (yes/no) question can open conversation: “Do you have a safety plan if you ever feel like your life is threatened?” Imagine the kinds of great questions that might flow from this close-ended question.

Divergent questions that encourage exploration, not a pat answer, are most likely to increase student curiosity. Synthesis and understanding are important. But answers are most meaningful when preceded by divergent exploration. Divergence allows us to explore the context that surrounds our topic, leading to deeper understanding. Too often we bypass this crucial process.

Before signing off I want to underscore that convergent questions are not implicitly bad. “Is everyone understanding what we’re talking about?” is an example of a very helpful convergent question. But divergent questions are caffeine for our curiosity. My hope is that we will be more aware of the types of questions we ask and how we use them in the course of learning. We’re always moving with students from abstract to concrete and back again. Questions are trusted guides for this process.

The next time you observe your staff (or yourself) working with teens, I encourage you to try the following:

On a blank piece of paper create a column for divergent questions and a column for convergent questions.

1) Tally how many questions the educator asks in each category.

2) Note how the educator uses convergent and divergent questions.

3) Note how students responded to the questions.

Push yourself to ask better questions and you will see student curiosity increased. It’s better than Red Bull!

It’s great to be working with you to promote positive change in the lives of young people.

Best,

Andrew

Tags: adolescent health, adolescents, communicating with youth, connecting with youth, curiosity, divergent questions, education, effective programs, good questions, positive change, student engagement

An alert teen spotted a stump protruding from the sand while walking with her father along the Oregon coast. The girl commented on its odd shape. Upon closer inspection the two noticed it was encrusted in rust. Curious, they began to shovel away the sand. Other people saw the emerging object, and joined in to help. Several hours of grassroots excavating revealed an enormous elongated mass of rusty metal. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department determined it was a cannon–probably from the USS Shark that ran aground in 1846. (The Oregonian, February 19, 2008, Noelle Crombie).

Most archeological discoveries follow this progression: Someone happens to notice an inkling of an artifact. He or she begins delving, with interest growing in relation to the treasure’s incremental revelation. This process is one of intrigue, excitement, and wholesale engagement.

So often we bypass process and display only the artifact. We deliver our message to teens in protracted doses that sabotage teens’ innate curiosity. Eager to make sure we communicate our message, we rush to the punch line–we expose the treasure all at once. But only those present through the unearthing process are privileged to enjoy the sense of wonder, collaboration, and achievement experienced by those beach diggers on Oregon’s coast.

Engage students in a dynamic learning process shot through with curiosity and they will arrive at or near the destination we hope for. Give ‘em the stump. Follow this natural progression with them of revealing an artifact, and you will strengthen your efficacy. Present a simple, pithy summary of your message. Introduce just enough to orient students to your topic. For example, let’s say you are presenting on the risks of alcohol use. Introduce the main message. Use a demonstration or activity to clarify the message. This is the stump. You can do this in 10 to 15 minutes. Use the balance of your time to dig. With the students discover the message. Examine it.

There are two key elements to this process:

1. Good questions

2. Curious presenters

In future newsletters I will explore these two elements in greater depth. It’s great to be working with you to promote positive change in the lives of young people.

Best,

Andrew

Tags: adolescent health, adolescents, connecting with youth, education, effective programs, positive change, student engagement