To arouse the interest of young people in the topic of classes, it is worth basing the lesson plan on proven strategies:
Include characters known to young people in the lesson plan – you will not only show that you are up to date with the socio-cultural life of young people and can give them examples that appeal to them and interest them, but – most importantly – you will make them realise that their idols are similar to them and, therefore, nothing is impossible.
Try to surprise – when preparing the lesson plan, it is worth reaching for the element of surprise, e.g., in a presentation on a serious topic, include illustrations from their favorite cartoons, movies, or series. Surprise is primarily intended to stimulate the attention of young people, make them break away from their distractions and give you a chance to interest them in the subject of the activity.
Involve young people in group tasks – design tasks so that young people blur the line between learning and playing, give them freedom in carrying out tasks and only advise how to complete the job. In this way, working using the project method, you will motivate youth to complete the task because, on the one hand, there will be an element of competition between the groups. But on the other hand – the processes taking place within the group of teenagers, such as the desire to impress or the pure joy of cooperation, will additionally strengthen the desire to complete the task.
Introduce elements borrowed from computer games or gamification – computer games are a substitute for the backyard and outdoor games for modern youth, so skillful inclusion of them in the educational process will undoubtedly contribute to an increase in interest in the subject of classes, and in favorable conditions may become the primary motivator for the students to gain experience on their own. However, if you feel reluctant to include computer games in your classes, consider gamification, which is a hybrid of regular classes and a computer game – assign experience points instead of grades, weave the issues raised in classes into a narrative known, for example, from books about Harry Potter (e.g., create a story in which the fate of the book’s hero depends on solving the equation), run various types of rankings and, in general, create an atmosphere of fun and try to involve all your pupils.