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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Teaching Tips From Your TCC


Preview: Coming Attractions!

Based on and adapted from Hot Tips for Teachers 30+ Steps to Student Engagement, Rob Abernathy and Mark Reardon (Tucson: Zephyr Press, 2002)

Movies at the theater or on DVDs are always preceded by previews of forthcoming features. Viewers sit mesmerized by the montage of sound bites and scenes. While we may not be able to replicate the movie studio effects, we can use “Preview: Coming Attractions” to stimulate our students’ interest before we begin teaching.

“Preview: Coming Attractions” in the classroom allows presentation of learning objectives in a form that creates an air of mystery and curiosity. The two things that previews accomplish are:

1) to give students an initial, broad overview of the material to be presented

2) to stimulate learner interest by suggesting there is “more than meets the eye.”

How can you apply this strategy? Develop a short continuous loop PowerPoint presentation of images and simple questions of material that is going to be covered in the class. Play the PowerPoint presentation for the few minutes before the beginning of class when students always have that quick question to ask you. Students see the images and questions playing on the continuous loop and begin to settle down and think about the material that is going to be presented.

Submitted by Pamela Korte, Nursing

Julie Damerell
Transitional Studies
03/04/2009