Susan’s use of the story to engage the students’ interest and arouse their curiosity had the desired effect. The telling of the story did not take much time out of the lesson and the rewards it brought in terms of motivating the students were well worth the time.
Capturing students’ interest in a new topic and explaining the topic need careful thought and planning. There are many ways that you can start to explain a topic, from talking about it to using pictures, drama, poetry, stories, music or inviting an expert in to talk to the class. It is important to vary the strategies you use so that the students’ curiosity is aroused.
The next activity asks you to think about a topic you are going to teach and how you might start to explain it.