How to Craft a Great Lesson: Proven Strategies for Engaging and Effective Learning
Designing a lesson that sticks is both an art and a science. You can create lessons that genuinely resonate with students by reinforcing existing knowledge, introducing one new concept at a time, and using varied mediums paired with summative assessments. In this post, we share actionable, research-backed tips to help you build better lessons—while also highlighting how our EdTech engine, MERVE, by AXOL, can streamline the process.
1. Reinforce Existing Knowledge
Why it Matters
Starting your lesson with a review of previous content activates prior knowledge and primes the brain for new learning. According to the National Research Council’s How People Learn (2000), connecting new information to what students already know can dramatically improve retention and understanding.
How to do it:
Quick Recap: Use interactive polls or a brief discussion to refresh key points.
Brain Teasers: Pose a challenging question or a mini-problem related to earlier topics.
Real-World Application: Encourage students to share how they’ve applied past lessons in everyday situations.
2. Introduce Only One New Concept
Why it Matters
Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988) suggests that our working memory has limited capacity. Focusing on a single new concept per lesson minimises overload and deepens understanding.
How to do it:
Single Focus: Clearly define one main idea to explore.
Break It Down: Divide complex ideas into digestible sub-points.
Multiple Mediums: Enhance comprehension by presenting the concept through video, reading materials, and visual aids.
3. Use Multiple Mediums for Enhanced Learning
Why it Matters
Different learners absorb information in different ways. Richard E. Mayer’s Multimedia Learning (2001) confirms that combining text, visuals, and audio can lead to better understanding and retention.
How to do it:
Engaging Videos: Create short clips that illustrate the new concept in a dynamic, relatable way.
Informative Reading Material: Provide articles or documents that offer detailed explanations.
Visual Illustrations: Use infographics and diagrams to simplify complex ideas.
4. Apply Summative Assessments
Why it Matters
Summative assessments confirm that learning has occurred and help students consolidate their understanding. Research outlined in Make It Stick (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014) emphasises that timely feedback and testing enhance long-term retention.
How to do it:
Focused Quizzes: Administer a brief quiz on the new concept.
Integrated Reviews: Include questions on previous lessons to ensure ongoing retention.
Instant Feedback: Provide immediate responses to help students identify and correct mistakes.
Example Lesson in Action
Here’s how you can structure a comprehensive lesson using these strategies:
Refresher on Previous Topics:
Begin with a quick review—using polls or group discussions—to reactivate prior learning.Video Introduction:
Show a short, engaging video that introduces your new concept.Deep Dive Reading Material:
Distribute an article or excerpt that provides more detailed insights.Visual Summary:
Use an infographic or a verbal summary to encapsulate the key points of the new concept.Quiz on the New Concept:
Conduct a focused quiz to assess understanding of the new material.Review Quiz on Past Lessons:
End with a quiz covering key points from previous lessons, reinforcing the overall unit objectives.
How MERVE Empowers Educators to Create Engaging E-Learning Courses
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, creating engaging and effective e-learning courses is essential. Whether you’re an educator, trainer, or course designer, you need a platform that not only streamlines course creation but also enhances learner engagement and outcomes. That’s where MERVE by AXOL comes in—a cutting-edge EdTech engine designed to simplify the e-learning course development process.
Data-Driven Insights:
MERVE’s analytics dashboard provides actionable insights into learner engagement and performance. Educators can use this data to fine-tune their content, adjust teaching strategies, and continuously improve course outcomes.
User-Friendly and Collaborative Environment:
Designed with educators in mind, MERVE offers an intuitive interface and collaboration tools that make it easy to create, modify, and manage your courses. Whether you’re a seasoned course creator or just getting started, MERVE simplifies the journey to launching a successful e-learning product.
Integrating MERVE into your lesson planning can save time and ensure that every session is engaging and effective.
Image: Merve’s assessment activity builder.
Streamlined Course Creation:
MERVE’s all-in-one platform allows educators to quickly assemble course content—from lesson overviews to interactive assessments—eliminating technical hurdles and saving valuable time.
Seamless Multimedia Integration:
With MERVE, you can effortlessly embed videos, reading materials, and visual aids into your lessons. This multimedia approach caters to various learning styles, ensuring that your new concepts are communicated clearly and engagingly.
Built-In Assessment Tools:
The platform includes robust quiz and assessment features that enable real-time tracking of student progress. Instant feedback ensures that learners stay on track, while integrated reviews reinforce both new and prior knowledge.