We would all benefit from learning how TED talks are crafted. This is useful because the primary goal is to change us, through education, and not primarily via edutainment. For starters, they strictly limit a TED talk to 18 minutes, no exceptions. The reason is due to limitations of the human brain in the 21st century. They strongly encourage presenters to land 1-3 main ideas. The max is 3 because that is all that a human's working memory can handle. They tell presenters to use both the left brain and the right brain to engage listeners. This means to have data/illustrations, but to drive the point home with an emotional connection that leaves the audience begging for more. And, of course, as classroom teachers, we also need an assessment of some kind at the end in order to determine if everyone was paying attention, because statistically, at least 25% were not, and maybe as much as 75%.
Try to touch each varying teaching style. Be prepared and take time to talk to students prior to start of class to get a feel of what the days feelings are. Demonstrations should be practiced before student arrival but always have a back up plan. Lecture for 10-15 min with mini breaks. Being a great teacher is part expertise, part story telling, part acting.
I need to develop my lesson plans using a variety of teaching and lecture methods rolled into each plan. Thr students will get bored if I only teach using 1 teaching delivery method.
