During the peak of the pandemic, Christina Scheffel, a dedicated high school English teacher in Delaware, found herself grappling with the challenge of engaging her students in her presentations. Desperate for a solution, she decided to spice up her slide decks by incorporating cactus-themed designs complete with cactus borders, fonts, and arrows. “Every single cactus emoji that I could find got put somewhere on these slides, and I really did think it was a way to bring some joy into the classroom,” Scheffel shared.
Although her students enjoyed the novel approach, a comment from one student during a recall exercise left Scheffel reevaluating her presentation strategy. “One of my students looked at me and said, ‘All I remember from the last lesson is the cactuses on the slides,'” she recounted. This moment served as a turning point for Scheffel, prompting her to reflect on the balance between visual appeal and educational effectiveness in her materials.
At the International Society for Technology in Education 2024 Conference, Scheffel shared valuable insights for creating student-centered presentations that prioritize clarity, accessibility, and learning goals. Let’s delve into the three key tips she offered for teachers seeking to enhance their classroom materials and engagement strategies.
Choose a design that works for students
Scheffel underscored the significance of reducing cognitive load, which refers to the amount of information students can absorb at once. Overloading slides with distractions like GIFs or extraneous images can hinder student comprehension. “We are asking students to take that extra processing step and therefore we are increasing their cognitive load,” Scheffel explained. To combat this, she advised teachers to carefully structure their slides, placing crucial information front and center for easy student reference.
Supporting Scheffel’s perspective, Jeff Kilner, a technology integration specialist at Indian River School District in Delaware, highlighted the benefits of foregrounding essential content to guide students on what to focus on. Additionally, Scheffel recommended ensuring that design elements such as font styles, sizes, and color combinations are conducive to readability and accessibility for all learners.
Limit text on slides
Information overload can impede student learning, as the brain struggles to process textual and auditory information simultaneously. Scheffel emphasized the importance of chunking related information together to facilitate memory retention. By presenting content in digestible segments, teachers can prevent cognitive overwhelm and support effective learning.
Moreover, Scheffel proposed a dual approach to content delivery, suggesting that teachers share a text-light version of their slides during class and provide a more detailed text-heavy version online for students’ reference. This strategy allows students to engage with the material at their own pace, promoting deeper understanding.
Provide multiple forms of media
To cater to diverse learners, Scheffel advocated for incorporating various media types such as videos, audio clips, visuals, and text in presentations. Recognizing that students have unique preferences in information processing, she stressed the importance of offering multiple avenues for comprehension. Captions or transcripts accompanying videos can enhance accessibility, ensuring that all students can engage with the content effectively.
While maintaining the focus on educational objectives, Scheffel encouraged teachers to infuse creativity and fun into non-instructional content. By leveraging emojis, graphics, and interactive elements, educators can foster student engagement and emotional connection. Scheffel’s advice resonated with the need to design materials with every student in mind, acknowledging the diverse learning styles and preferences within the classroom environment.
In conclusion, Scheffel’s journey from cactus-themed slides to student-centered presentations exemplifies the transformative power of intentional design and thoughtful pedagogy. By prioritizing clarity, accessibility, and engagement in classroom materials, teachers can create enriching learning experiences that resonate with students on a deeper level. As Scheffel aptly stated, “Take it one step at a time” in the pursuit of creating impactful and meaningful educational content that caters to every learner’s needs.
