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

A major league baseball bat begins as a chunk of wood. Imagine if the players used this unrefined piece of wood as a bat. Not only would it be cumbersome, it would be ineffective. Instead, the chunk of wood is cut down to a blank then placed on a lathe where a craftsman shaves and smoothes the wood into the shape of a bat. Now it’s smooth, agile and ready for action.

You can nail down your curricula by applying a similar refinement process. Cut, shave and sand away all the unnecessary elements. Create more space for teens to process and own the information–and ultimately connect with their educators in a meaningful way.

Consider the following thought experiment: Imagine you forgot all your materials for a presentation (not that this has ever happened to you), and class starts in five minutes. How will you determine what to cover with students? Statistics and other minor details would not rush to the forefront of your mind. Your brain would go through a rapid process to recall the three-to-five main points of the curriculum. These would become your focus for the day.

Now imagine applying this whittling process to your entire curricula. Look at the outline, then the main headings. These are the elements the author considers most important to the fidelity of the curricula. You may even wish to create your own outline of those points you consider most important. With your main points at hand, consider accepting this challenge:

Present only on the major headings of your curriculum. Students will provide most of the details. Feel free to lend a hand, but only after students have exhausted their ideas.

Instead of telling students what you think they should know, ask questions. You will discover that students will contribute the remaining curriculum content.

If you muster the courage to accept this challenge, let me know. I’d love to hear about it!   Also, write me if you’d like further suggestions. Just remember to trust the process.

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

Best,

Andrew

Do you remember the show, MacGyver? Yes, that ultra cheesy, but kind of cool ’80s adventure show starring Richard Dean Anderson. If you’re younger than 30, you may not. Stay tuned. Instead of equipping himself with dozens of hidden tools to solve seemingly intractable problems (think James Bond), MacGyver utilized to great effect the most potent resource he possessed–his intellect. I never thought I’d say this, but let’s use MacGyver as a teaching model.

When we work with youth it is tempting to swing into a classroom Bond-style, outfitted with more information–in the form of videos, slides, books, demonstrations, and activities–than a single student could possibly process in a day, let alone a 50-minute session. Though we may derive comfort from doing so much, by mindfully doing less we:

1. Create room for students to effectively link what we introduce to what they already know, so they can truly own the information

2. Encourage students to engage

3. Free up more time for connection, a defining element of program effectiveness

The strength of this approach is corroborated by K.L. Ruhl’s1 study comparing participants’ responses to two distinct learning experiences: one based on information dissemination, and the other incorporating process. As we would expect, the group that processed the information in the form of discussion and dialogue learned more. In other words, through refining the content of the presentation, we can accomplish more by doing less. Consider the following “do less” techniques:

1. Imagine each section of your curriculum in the form of an outline instead of paragraphs.

2. Go through your curricula and determine which points are pillars, and therefore indispensable to the structure and coherence of your presentation.

3. Organize the topics from most to least important using the Roman Numeral system (I. A. a. 1) a))

Try to limit yourself to five or fewer major points (i.e., the upper case points) per 50-minute session. If you attempt any more students will disengage. If they want more from you they’ll ask.

Doing less is a good first step toward shifting the impact of your program. Once you’re positioned to do less you can strengthen the delivery of your message. That will be the subject of our next message.

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

Best,

Andrew

1Ruhl, K.L, Hughes, C.A., & Schloss, P.J. (1987). Using the pause procedure to enhance lecture recall. Teacher Education and Special Education, 10, 14-18.