Board Thread:Watercooler 2.0/@comment-6198648-20130228045108/@comment-6191693-20131004005900

Here's a tip: forget about Powerpoint.

1. It's too tempting to be over-dependent on it (reading from your slides instead of just using it as a supplement as it was intended).

2. Most students generally don't respond well to traditional notetaking, mostly because few have really ever been taught how to take decent notes. I happen to be one of those few, but I'm a weirdo, as you know.

3. Tie it in with and draw parallels with current events. They'll likely be woefully misinformed, but not quite as badly as they would be with things that happened 150 years ago. The general opinion tends to be "This happened so long ago; so what?" Tying it in with current events makes it more relevant. When current events fail, use metaphor. My personal preference: reinforce everything with humor and pop culture references.

4. Don't get caught up with minutia. I know you, Ino. It's tempting, but just blitz them with the basics to get their feet wet before you delve into the details. I don't know how many class sessions you have with these kids to get this across to them, but save the details for later.

5. Remember that kids these days are used to Vines and Snapchat. Attention spans of longer than a goldfish's are things of the past. Keep the momentum going, but at the same time, don't drone. I use jokes to break up marathon spells, but it can sometimes be easy to get distracted and off-topic -- watch out for that.

6. Cuss. I don't mean talk like I usually do (believe it or not, my mouth is far more foul IRL when I'm not working than it is on the internet), but drop a "damn" or an "ass" once or twice. The key to getting kids to pay attention is to earn their respect. I've found that something as minor as this can make kids go "Hey, this teacher's not like the rest. She's kinda cool." Plus, it spices things up and makes things more interesting. Of course, you have to be careful with this one -- some places are a lot more anal than others and it could backfire if your bosses are as prudish as you are.