Graphic organizers, definitely. Organize graphically in a chart what the class objective will be, the activities that are planned for the evening, and the rationale for it. Then, state how you will assess them in the end, and what they should aim for. You will succeed.
I agree with mrsmonica - the secret to success in teaching adult learners is the first ten minutes - you have to get them on board before you go any further. What is the topic you are teaching them? Ideas I have used to start classes or sessions that you might want to think about are as follows:
1) Giving students a series of quotations that they have to "grade" out of 10 in terms of whether they agree with them or not. You then sort out the winner of the class and students can justify their choice.
2) A youtube clip or a clip of a film where I stop it half way through and they have to guess what happens next.
3) An initial brainstorm or quiz to see how much students know about the topic already.
4) An important quote that I give to students and they have to work out what it means in small groups
All of these ideas are good "hooks" to use - have fun and enjoy!
The first rule of thumb for adult learners is engagement. Careful planning will ensure that your ten-minute lesson is a success. Sit down and sketch out what you want to do, then estimate how many minutes each section of that lesson will take.
Don't bore your class--too much talking by you, unless you are a mesmerizing public speaker with a fascinating topic, will not engage your students.
Once you've sketched out a draft lesson plan, go back to the beginning of it and think of a way to hook your students--it could be a very short video clip, a quotation, a free write, anything that will get them thinking about what you're going to teach them.
Good luck with your lesson!
1. Develop a very clear and limited focus. I have no idea what your area is, but this usually works for everything. Make sure that this is something that can actually be done in such a short period.
2. Decide if you have to use a lecture format to convey information or a discovery method. In this short a time period, you will have to be very specific about what you want the students to explore and what method of reporting that you will use. Again, I do not know if you will be doing this at the beginning of an examination (in which case, you'd almost have to lecture) or later on where you might be able to use previous discussed/taught materials as a base and a small case study/examination to illustrate previously explored materials.
In either case, you'll have to know the subject in great detail and be very clear about what the students will know or be able to do at the end.
Good luck!
See eNotes Ad-Free
Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
Already a member? Log in here.