{"id":4918,"date":"2021-04-23T13:26:11","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T18:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/content.principia.edu\/teaching-excellence\/?p=4918"},"modified":"2021-04-23T13:27:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T18:27:35","slug":"an-airport-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/content.principia.edu\/teaching-excellence\/an-airport-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"An airport idea"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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An airport idea<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Recently I was listening to <\/span>a podcast from Teaching in Higher Education<\/span><\/a> about a well-known statistics professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.\u00a0His courses are so popular that a researcher decid<\/span>ed to take the course in order to better understand how the professor was able to connect so well with students. Something that stood out to me was what the professor called an \u201cairport idea.”\u00a0He made a point each lesson to highlight an idea, that even years later, if a student met him in the airport, the student would remember this concept and be able to share something about it with him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The goal of an airport idea is to \u201cmaximize the student\u2019s focus\u201d at the moment the idea is mentioned. There is also a motivational aspect for the student as they connect with the material in a way that grabs and holds their attention in a memorable way. Typically, this isn\u2019t a\u00a0 fact or formula — it is a me<\/span>aningful conceptual \u201ctakeaway\u201d underpinning the focus of a lecture.<\/span><\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

For example:\u00a0 When the professor introduce<\/span>d th<\/span>e concept of how it’s possible to “cherry pick” statistics in order to support almost<\/span> any claim,\u00a0 he simultaneously showed a slide with a <\/span>picture of a girl picking bright red cherries<\/span>\u2014<\/span>and consistently students would recall this key concept<\/span>\u2014<\/span>even when asked after the course ended.<\/span><\/p>

This reminded me of a conference presentation I heard earlier this semester and <\/span>blogged about<\/span><\/a> highlighting how to make lectures more\u00a0engaging to maximize student learning.\u00a0These are three of the steps :<\/span><\/p>

  1. Choose key ideas to highlight during the lecture<\/span><\/li>
  2. Call students’ attention to these key ideas in some way\u00a0<\/span>(visually, orally, with gestures, etc.)<\/span><\/li>
  3. Use simple\/single images to highlight a concept<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

    The “cherry picking” example does all three.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

    This idea also resonates with me because of the <\/span>connections between emotion and learning<\/span><\/a>. If students are connecting emotionally with ideas, they are more likely to engage in the learning process. This could also be accomplished using memes and gifs, whether asking students to find or make a meme illustrating a concept or using a meme to focus students\u2019 attention to a key concept or \u201cairport idea\u201d during a lecture. (For more ideas using memes and gifs, see the Faculty Focus article\u00a0<\/span>Memes and GIFs as Powerful Classroom Tools<\/span><\/a>.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

    Are you already using visuals and\/or \u201cairport ideas\u201d in\u00a0 support of your lectures? Share your own examples here in a Teaching Tips blog.<\/span><\/p>

    \"\"<\/p>

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    Christine Elliott is a writing, literacy and student support specialist in the Center for Teaching and Learning.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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