One Minute Teaching

One small thing that can make a big difference in a Zoom meeting is lighting. Not the camera. Not the background. The real secret to looking more professional on Zoom is getting as much light as possible directed toward you, not behind you. When the brightest light is behind you, your camera struggles. You can end up looking dark, shadowy, or washed out. But when light is coming toward your face, everything looks clearer, warmer, and more professional. A simple place to start is with the lights you already have. Turn on the big light in the room. Turn on the lamps. If it is daytime, open the drapes and let in as much natural sunlight as possible. You can also move lamps closer to you and place them at better angles. The goal is not to create a movie studio. The goal is to make sure your face is well lit and easy to see. Even better, consider using two small key lights placed in front of you at slight angles. They do not need to be expensive. I use low cost Neewer key lights fro...

A student-centric mindset is more than a teaching approach. It is a way of thinking that should shape decisions across the entire education system. At its core, a student centric mindset means asking one important question: How will this affect the student experience? That question should not only belong to teachers. It matters for everyone who works in education. Teachers, administrators, support staff, managers, and leaders all shape the way students experience learning. A teacher might show it by making instructions clearer, giving thoughtful feedback, or creating a classroom where students feel capable and supported. An administrator might show it by responding with patience, helping students navigate a process, or making sure communication is clear and timely. A leader might show it by designing policies, systems, and programs that consider what students actually need to succeed. That matters because students experience education as a whole system. They do not separate the ...

One simple teaching habit that can make PowerPoint lessons more effective is adding mini checkpoint questions throughout the presentation. Every four or five slides, a teacher can pause and ask three or four short, straightforward questions about the concepts that were just covered. Nothing complicated. Just a quick chance for students to recall, respond, and reset their attention. That can make a big difference. When students move through slide after slide without stopping, it is easy for the lesson to become passive. But a mini checkpoint changes that. It gives students a reason to stay mentally engaged because they know they may need to use what they just learned. It also helps the teacher. If students answer confidently, the lesson can keep moving. If they seem unsure, the teacher has a chance to clarify before the confusion builds. For example, after a few slides on project scope, a teacher might ask: What is scope? Why does clear scope matter? What can happen if scope is...

One communication idea that can help motivate and energize students is the yes set . The basic idea is simple.  You begin with a few easy questions or prompts that students are likely to agree with. That kind of small initial commitment fits with what persuasion research often calls consistency or the foot in the door effect, where a small early agreement can make later participation feel more natural. That can be helpful in teaching when it is used supportively, not manipulatively. For example, a teacher might begin class by saying,  “Can everyone see the example on the screen?” Yes.  “Does this look manageable if we take it one step at a time?” Yes.  “Are you willing to try the first part with me?” Yes. By the time the activity begins, students have already started moving in the direction of participation. What I like about yes sets is that they can shift the energy in the room. Instead of starting with hesitation, students start with agreement, movement, an...

One skill I think can be surprisingly helpful for teachers is learning a little basic HTML. You do not need to become a web developer. But knowing a few simple tags can make a big difference when working in an LMS. Have you ever clicked to edit a page and then noticed that not all of the content appears on the edit screen?  You know the part you want to change is there somewhere, but it seems to have disappeared. That can be frustrating. But if you click the code symbol in the toolbar and open the HTML view, you can usually find exactly what you are looking for there. Even better, you can press Ctrl + F to use the find feature, type in a word from the sentence you want to change, and the matching section will appear right away in the code. It can also help when the LMS editor does not display things the way you want. Have you ever added an image to a course announcement and noticed that the text wrapping around the image is way too close to it, making the whole thing look strange ...

One teaching learning theory that I keep coming back to is connectivism. Connectivism is the idea that learning does not happen only through direct instruction. It also happens through connections with other people, digital spaces, and networks of shared knowledge.  It reminds us that students do not only learn from us. They also learn from one another. Because of that, teachers can encourage students to build their own peer networks outside of class. For example, students in a Health Insurance program might create their own WhatsApp group where they can ask questions, remind one another about deadlines, share study tips, and support each other as they move through the program. That kind of student-led space can be powerful. When students explain ideas to one another, solve small problems together, and stay connected outside of formal class time, learning becomes more continuous and more collaborative. It also helps students feel that they are part of a learning community, no...