How to teach hard topics

Try to develop A check list, Think of this as a step-by-step planner for planning complex curriculum units.

Plan your unit. Of course, teaching any content always begins with thorough planning of your unit. Begin by doing a backwards plan of your unit. 

Don't forget to chunk your daily objectives so that students better understand complex topics. chunk and nugget your course as to keep it short and simple.

Focus on your daily instruction. Universal design for learning is the preferred pedagogy for meeting the needs of all students. So use it to plan each of your daily lessons. universal design as to keep the instructions good for all types of learners (auditory, visuals and Physical (kinesthetic))

• Visual (spatial):You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
• Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
• Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
• Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.

The first UDL(universal design learning) principle is Representation. As you plan your daily lessons,predict what vocabulary and background knowledge students will find difficult. Then compile relevant real life scenarios, visuals, and videos that give students more context about this vocabulary and knowledge. 

Try always to include learning activities that appeal to the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Therefore, come up with at least three different ways to deliver the content. Yes, that's a lot. But the internet and the YouTube can be your creative partners in this endeavor.

We have to keep the students motivated if we want the lessons to be effective. First and foremost, make sure to give students some choice in their learning.

Don't forget to incorporate authenticity. Remember that from a student's point of view, it's all about me. So try to make your lessons all about them. Incorporate their interests and find ways to let your students express themselves.

We all in love with games, right? Students do too. So if you really want to keep students focused on the complex task,set up your assignments so they replicate a game. Particularly when it comes to establishing levels of content that students must complete before they can move on.

You can encourage the students to improve their note taking using visual organizers. And a little bit of modeling on your part will go a long way towards helping students use these organizers effectively.

Don't forget to continually offer feedback. Some topics are inherently challenging and students need frequent reinforcement and refocusing to help keep them on track. The last section of the checklist focuses on providing focused assistance to individual or small groups who are struggling.

It's our job to fill in any gaps in the students understanding. Identify which students are struggling as early as possible. If students are experiencing difficulty reading a hard topics , then you may need to provide additional background or vocabulary development.

You can assist struggling students by chunking long texts into smaller excerpts.

You can scaffold any instructional activity. Templates, reference guides, guided instruction, and simple verbal cues or hints are a few that I shared. Since every instructional activity is unique, you may have to think outside of the box and prepare different instructional support to guide your students through a complex task.

The goal is to shape lifelong independent learners who can navigate their own educational destiny.

To know more on how to be a great instructor please go on with the course named "teaching complex topics" on LinkedIn learning by Karin Hutchinson