Best Practices: Connecting with High School Audiences

The 9th-12th grade audience ranges between 14-18 years old. These four years have a lasting influence on individual lives.

High school students are at a point in their lives where asking questions can dig up just as much information as answering them. They think outside of the box in both concrete and abstract terms, have the ability to work effectively individually and in teams, and are able to find connections between wide-ranging subjects.

Here at the Peace Corps, we love to see intercultural learning and excitement that comes from engaging activities.

Below are some tips to help you connect with a 9th to 12th grade audience in challenging, meaningful, and enjoyable ways.

Encourage connections

Allow students to develop connections between their own experiences and the topic at hand. Not only will this get them thinking about similarities and differences, but it helps those key ideas stick.

Offer some wiggle room

Students are more likely to take something away from a lesson about a topic that is interesting to them. Whenever possible, offer students some flexibility.

This flexibility can come in many forms, such as allowing students to pick a research topic that relates to the lesson or offering a variety of presentation methods instead of just sticking to a PowerPoint.

Use engaging activities

High school students can lose interest quickly if they are sitting in their desks listening to teachers lecture all day. Switch things up, organizing activities that incorporate group work, individual tasks, research, presentations, etc.

Check out the lessons on the Educator Resource page for activities that will keep your students engaged.

Tech, tech, tech

High school students of today use technology more than ever, so incorporating it into lesson plans is essential. Not only will it keep them more engaged, but it’s likely that they will be familiar with whatever technology is being used and/or it make it easier for them to get grip on the topic.

Be in the now

Focusing on current events will make it easier for students to develop connections to the topic, and also offers the opportunity to work on solutions to issues relevant to the present and the future. Students will gain a better understanding of what is happening in the world around them.