Hooking Strategies Handout

Center for Faculty Excellence Supporting faculty success in teaching, 5 Attention Grabbing Strategies for “Hooking” Your Students Presenting an interesting or shocking fact related to the topic can grab attention, i.e. “We know that Malaria kills half a million people each year, and we’ve had a cure for it since the 1600s” (Lindsay, 2015). This can, in turn, stimulate curiosity in a topic and prompt the brain to pay further attention to understand the context surrounding the fact or discrepancy caused by it. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE All thinking begins with wonder. - Socrates Research from cognitive psychology and neuroscience shows “substantial evidence” supporting the basic notion that interest arousal and attention precedes and stimulates learning and memory (Craik & Lockhart, 1976; Kyndt, Cascallar, & Douchy, 2012; Posner & Petersen, 1990; Riggs, McQuiggan, Farb, Anderson, & Ryan, 2011; Rosegard & Wilson; 2013). To optimize learning, it is, therefore, important to pique and capture the learner’s attention and interest at the outset of introducing a new topic through the use of a novel, surprising, or ambiguous external stimuli, also known as a (1) Interesting or Shocking Fact (4) Puzzle or Problem to Solve (3) Thought - Provoking Question Presenting some type of puzzle or problem to solve at the beginning of a class encourages students to keep listening for information throughout the class to formulate a solution. According to Berlyne’s (1960) theory of human curiosity, curiosity is a state of moderate arousal induced by an external stimuli that presents conflict or uncertainty. The conflict or uncertainty that a problem poses can People have a natural disposition to using stories for interpreting and explaining the world around them. Brain science shows that the brain is wired for learning through stories by looking for a narrative, characters, and a problem or conflict with a resolution. The story can be about a: Personal experience Historical event (5) Interesting /Outlier Case Because they often tell a story through a narrative structure and contain a problem or conflict based in the real world, case studies can be a powerful hook for students. Starting a new topic with a compelling scenario or dilemma from an interesting or outlier case can captivate your student’s attention, produce an emotional connection by identifying with people involved, and create a motivating framework for A lead-in, thought-provoking question can pique attention and set the stage for class discussion later on, e.g. have you ever wondered why “x” occurs; why your body does “y”; when is war justified; why a song gets stuck in your head; or can you legislate someone’s beliefs? An effective thought-provoking question will amplify a student’s natural sense of wonder or challenge a student’s

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Transcript of Hooking Strategies Handout

Center for Faculty Excellence Supporting faculty success in teaching, research/scholarship, and service

5 Attention Grabbing Strategies for “Hooking” Your Students

Presenting an interesting or shocking fact related to the topic can grab attention, i.e. “We know that Malaria kills half a million people each year, and we’ve had a cure for it since the 1600s” (Lindsay, 2015). This can, in turn, stimulate curiosity in a topic and prompt the brain to pay further attention to understand the context surrounding the fact or discrepancy caused by it.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

All thinking begins with wonder. - Socrates

Research from cognitive psychology and neuroscience shows “substantial evidence” supporting the basic notion that interest arousal and attention precedes and stimulates learning and memory (Craik & Lockhart, 1976; Kyndt, Cascallar, & Douchy, 2012; Posner & Petersen, 1990; Riggs, McQuiggan, Farb, Anderson, & Ryan, 2011; Rosegard & Wilson; 2013). To optimize learning, it is, therefore, important to pique and capture the learner’s attention and interest at the outset of introducing a new topic through the use of a novel, surprising, or ambiguous external stimuli, also known as a “hook”. The following “hook” strategies can entice and focus your student’s attention towards learning.

(1) Interesting or Shocking Fact

(2) StorytellingPeople have a natural disposition to using stories for interpreting and explaining the world around them. Brain science shows that the brain is wired for learning through stories by looking for a narrative, characters, and a problem or conflict with a resolution. The story can be about a: Personal experience Historical event Experience of someone you know News or current event Fictional story with made up characters and events “Imagine if….” hypothetical situation (Catapano)

A lead-in, thought-provoking question can pique attention and set the stage

(4) Puzzle or Problem to Solve

Presenting some type of puzzle or problem to solve at the beginning of a class encourages students to keep listening for information throughout the class to formulate a solution. According to Berlyne’s (1960) theory of human curiosity, curiosity is a state of moderate arousal induced by an external stimuli that presents conflict or uncertainty. The conflict or uncertainty that a problem poses can induce motivation to solve it through the acquisition of knowledge.