The document discusses strategies for working with and presenting to 16-19 year old learners. It notes that this age group can be unpredictable and have short attention spans. Potential pitfalls include learners not seeing the relevance of the material or having low productivity. To address these issues, the document recommends relating topics to careers and skills, finding common ground, using varied media, and challenging learners. It also suggests questioning techniques, group work, time targets, and "pit stops" to check understanding to improve work rate. Having preparation activities and extension tasks can prevent running out of materials. The document stresses reflecting on sessions to identify what went well and could be improved.

1. Working with and
presenting to young
people
Paul Redford
Advanced Practitioner/ Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science

2. Programme for today
 Hopes and fears?
 Characteristics of 16-19 learners
 Potential pitfalls
 Strategies to overcome such pitfalls
 Reflection skills
 Opportunity to feedback & experiment

3. 16-19 learners (Cons and Pros)
• If you: know it, use it, have heard of
it, buy it, listen to it, do it…
…it’s old to them!
• Unpredictable, can and will catch
you off guard, will ask challenging
questions, and will want to get one
over on you.
• Have incredibly short attention
spans and will drift off-topic at a
moments notice, unless they see
the relevance to them.
• Always looking for a simpler, easier,
more straight-forward way of doing
things. (PIONEERING)
• Entertaining, diverse, exciting, and
rewarding people to work with
(INSPIRATIONAL)
• Capture their interest and they will
want to let you into their world and
show you who they really can be!
(EAGER TO PLEASE)
C
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4. Potential pitfalls
1. Why have we got to be here? How is this
relevant to us? Why should I listen to
you?
2. Low productivity and work rate
3. Not having enough prepared – running
out of things to challenge learners

5. Strategies to overcome – “Why have
we got to be here?”
 Relate topic to vocational area needs (Jobs, skills).
 Find a common ground to connect with individuals
(Your story, successes/failures)
 Use a multitude of varied and engaging media (Text,
Video, Internet, Social)
 Young people love to be challenged (Solve a problem,
create something new)

6. Strategies to overcome – Low
productivity/ work rate
 Questioning
 E.g. Pose, pause, pounce, bounce
 Timed targets
 Group work and defined roles/practice
 E.g. researcher, scribe, presenter/ “book, buddy and boss”
 “Pit stops”
 Checking learning and keeping learners on their toes

7. Strategies to overcome – Not having
enough prepared
 Arrival activity
 Clear objectives
 Open tasks
 Element of challenge/competition
 Extension activities

8. Reflection skills
After every session remember to consider the following
(Reflection-on-action)…
Don’t be afraid to try something new, or change in the moment if
its not working! (Reflection-in-action)
Positive Negative
What aspect of that session went
really well?
What parts of that session didn’t
seem to work?
Why did the group seem to like
this?
Why didn’t the group seem to like
this?
How could we make more of this in
future sessions?
How could I modify this next time?

9. Opportunity to feedback &
develop ideas