The lesson hook

Embedding the why in teaching and learning

                     

WHY

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Engagement – Students are as intrigued by their ikigai as we are. In their search for what they love, what they are good at, what they can be paid for and what the world needs, they want to know how what we are telling them relates to that. At CNC, engaging students in their learning is vital. With fewer extrinsic motivations, they look to a sense of purpose to drive their learning and, once hooked, they show their passion quickly.

 

Set the agenda – bring students up to the material by linking it to real life and global thinking.

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A preemptive strike – answer the omnipresent question of ‘why are we doing this?’ before it is asked!

 

WHAT

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“A short introductory moment that captures what’s interesting and engaging about the material, and

puts it out front.” (Doug Lemov)

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Hooks are:

• Short. A burst of engagement as an introduction.

• They yield. Once the sails are set, the winds of the lesson/content will continue the journey.

• Energetic and optimistic. Think of the holistic, integrated and positive aspects.

(N.B. hooks do not need to be every lesson, but each unit/topic/theme should have a clear hook which can be referred to and adapted to each activity)

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HOW

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Story - A quick and engaging story that leads directly to the material, from personal experience or real life examples;

 A computing teacher tells the story of the first time they had to learn to code

 

Analogy - An interesting and useful analogy that connects the material to student’s lives;

A teacher compares single replacement bonds in chemistry to choosing partners for the school ball.

 

Prop - Use a physical object to spark interest and bring the idea to life;

An English teacher wears the same type of jumper to class as the character in a book

 

Media - A picture, piece of music, or short clip to support your objective (not distract);

A maths teacher uses Pet Shop Boys ‘Divided by Zero’ to introduce the number zero

 

Status - Give your topic theme it’s noble place in the hierarchy and invest it with esteem;

A media teacher explains why social media has become the most powerful source of information ever.

 

Challenge - Set a task or question of high difficulty and then bring them to the answer;

A PE teacher challenges students to throw a pingpong ball into a jar to lead in to a lesson on serving to a particular area

of the court.