Engaged students learn better: Zoom in

Thomas Courtley, ex teacher and LessonUp education specialist

Thomas Courtley

Education Specialist

Cover image blog_ Engaged students learn better_ Zoom in

Discover a learning technique to keep the attention of your students.

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How do you keep your students interested in your lesson?

As a teacher, you often need to be a great presenter and storyteller to draw your students into the lesson.

With the learning technique "zoom in" students get to focus on details, and on drawing conclusions. Each time students are offered small zoom-ins of a bigger picture, one by one, like the pieces of a puzzle.

How does "zoom in" work?

With this learning technique students experience how “thinking” is a living process, which changes and matures each time the brain is offered a new piece of information. By and by, they are stimulated to ask relevant questions and draw their own conclusions, until the original image is revealed.

A lesson that your students will look forward to

To get the most out of this learning technique, you need to select a complex picture containing a lot of detail. The main goal is for students to ask relevant questions and elaborate information, not to guess what the initial image is. That is secondary.

Each new piece of the puzzle (image)  is accompanied by a new question, such as:

  • What do you see?
  • What stands out? 
  • Does this new piece of information complete the picture?
  • Do you have more questions?

Start by choosing the perfect image and embedding it in your lesson. Once you have decided which sections you want to show to your students, in which order, use a black filler (component; symbol) to erase the sections you want to conceal, one by one. 

Continue concealing parts of the image with the black filler, slide by slide, until your screen is black, and the original image is no longer visible. Remember to start by showing your students your last slide first - the black one - and work your way back.

When can you use it?

This learning technique is applicable to all kinds of subjects, without limitations. It activates prior knowledge and stimulates students to think about critical questions. Feel free to consult a lesson example the first time round 👉 click here for the lesson.

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