One Minute Teaching

One classroom activity I keep coming back to is the gallery walk. A gallery walk is a group activity where students work together to create a response to a question, problem, or task, usually on chart paper or a shared document, and then move around the room to view and discuss the work of other groups. In a project management class, for example, groups might create part of a work breakdown structure, identify project risks, or suggest stakeholder strategies. As students move around the room and engage with the work, the lesson becomes more interactive and more memorable. What I like most about the gallery walk is that it changes the energy of the class. Students are not just sitting and listening. They are creating, moving, discussing, and learning from one another. They get to compare approaches, notice differences, ask questions, and see that there is often more than one strong way to think about a problem. It can also be a very empowering activity. A student who might not say ...

Image source: Back to the Future trailer. One storytelling technique I really like is the time lock. In Back to the Future , Marty McFly travels from the 1980s back to the 1950s and gets stuck there. To return to his own time, everything depends on one critical moment.  A lightning bolt striking the Hill Valley clock tower at exactly 10:04 p.m. That fixed moment creates tension and anticipation. As the time gets closer, the audience keeps wondering what will happen. Will Marty make it back? Will something go wrong? We keep watching because the clock is always in the background. Teachers can use this too. Imagine telling your class, At exactly 2:35 p.m. today, we are going to learn a skill that can make a real difference in your future career. Right away, students have something to look forward to. As the lesson unfolds, you can build that anticipation by saying things like,  “What we are discussing right now will matter at 2:35,” or  “When 2:35 arrives, this will a...

Image source: trailer for Enter the Dragon . Bruce Lee once said,  “I fear not the fighter who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the fighter who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” I think that idea connects really well to teaching. As educators, it is easy to feel like we always need to add more. More tools, more strategies, more activities, more technology. There is always something new to try. But sometimes real growth does not come from constantly adding. Sometimes it comes from returning to one strong practice again and again until it becomes part of who we are as teachers. A teacher who uses one effective technique consistently can make a huge impact. Maybe one of those techniques is Keller’s ARCS model . Instead of jumping from one motivational idea to the next, we might focus on practicing the same four things over and over. Capturing attention, building relevance, supporting confidence, and creating satisfaction. The more intentionally we practice that, the...

Image source: Paramount, Raiders of the Lost Ark  trailer. One teaching model I keep coming back to is Keller’s ARCS model. I like it because it is simple, practical, and focused on something every teacher thinks about. Motivation. ARCS stands for Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction . First, you need to capture  attention . Students have to lean in before real learning can begin. For example, in a business class, you might open with a question like, “Why do some great products still fail?”  A good question can wake up the room right away. Then comes relevance . Students want to know why something matters. In an Excel class, I might explain that spreadsheets are used in offices, businesses, and organizations every day.  When students see a connection to real life, the lesson starts to feel more worthwhile. Next is confidence . If a task feels too big too quickly, students can shut down. Instead of giving a full spreadsheet project right away, I migh...