TEACHING TIPS
Research has shown that learning is facilitated when it is centered around a real-world problem. Below are five questions to think about when creating any type of lesson or demonstration. Bullet points after each question give you suggestions on how to use these questions to make your lesson more effective for this project. The bullet points are suggestions and, with the exception of the required item on the last question, do not have to be used. The suggestions are not all-inclusive and you are encouraged to think on your own of ways that you can teach the concept effectively using these questions as guides.

Do I present a real-world problem?

• Show the students the problem they will be able to solve after your demonstration, don’t just talk about it
• Show a task they will be able to complete after your demonstration
• Involve them in the problem right from the start (“How can we get this steel ball into this hole using magnets?”)
• Solve a series of problems using information learned in the first problem.

Do I make the students think about relevant prior knowledge or experience?

• Ask questions to see how much they already know about magnets. (“What kinds of things are attracted to magnets? Where have you see magnets at home? What happened when you put two together?”)
• Is their understanding correct? How can you change incorrect knowledge?
• Do you understand it well enough to handle questions?
• Have them show you something about the subject that they already know.
• Start with what they know and build on that. (“You’ve seen magnets stick to a refrigerator – that’s because a fridge is made out of steel and magnets are attracted to steel.”)

Do I demonstrate and show rather than merely tell the information to be learned?

• Do I use examples, demonstrate the concept or show pictures of the concept?
• Point out the important parts of the demonstration. (“Look what happens when we rub the magnet by the steel wool – it moves toward it.”)
• Show the same concept in more than one way. (Show how a magnet will move when steel comes close to it. Show how the steel will move when a magnet comes close to it.)
• Use a computer or movie to show the concept. (“Watch this big machine. It uses a magnet to pick up all the car parts and move them to the garbage pile.”)
  

Do I give the students the opportunity to practice and apply the new knowledge or skill?

• Ask them questions to see if they understand what you are teaching. (“Why does the steel wool move when you touch it? What is it called when two magnets push each other away?”)
• Ask them “What would happen if . . . “ questions
• Vary the problems/experiments the students need to solve

Do I show the students ways to use the new knowledge or skill in their everyday lives?

• Give them ways to show what they learned to their families or teachers. (“You could show your mom what happens when you rub a comb in your hair and hold it close to some pepper. Tell her what you learned about static electricity . . .”)
• Ask them if they can think of ways to use the concept they have just learned. (“How could you use magnets at home cleaning your room?”)
• Make a small information card that they could look at to remember your experiment and what they learned. They could use this to show their families.
• (REQUIRED) Make a follow-up mini lesson for the teacher to use at a later date that will review the concepts you taught. Include a short quiz or some type of assessment so the teacher can see if they have learned the concept.