The KISS principle is the idea that classroom processes and activities should be kept as short and simple as possible so that they maintain learner interest and make effective us of classroom time. KISS is an abbreviation of “keep it short and simple”.
The KISS principle is particularly valuable when it comes to giving instructions and determining the length/nature of classroom activities.
As teachers, we often spend time designing or selecting materials for classroom use and then demonstrating activities to/with learners but little or no attention to the instructions that such activities require. Clear and simple instructions are essential if learners are to be able to complete a task effectively. Despite this, many teacher instructions are often loaded with complex teacher language or the terminology of teaching e.g., “Read the sentences and then fill in the gaps with either the simple present or present continuous” or are overly-long e.g., “Read the passage and identify the main points then using those main points, write a summary of the passage in no more than 120 words”. Similarly, some instructions may be unclear and difficult to understand because of our insistence on using L2 (English) as the medium for giving instructions. This does not mean that teachers should automatically revert to L1 (the learners’ mother tongue) when giving instructions but we do need to consider whether or not in some instances (very young learners or beginners), it is simply more effective use of class time to deliver instructions quickly in L1 rather than spend time confusing and possibly demotivating learners with barely-understandable L2 guidance.
The KISS principle is equally applicable to the activities themselves. Asking learners to spend the next fifteen minutes or so reading a passage and answering the related questions may be a recipe for disaster particularly if the learners in question are children with short(er) attention spans. Effective lessons both in terms of motivation and learning outcome often consist of a series of short activities which can be broadly categorized into those which “raise” and those which “settle”. “Raising” activities are those which demand active participation e.g., role-play, discussion and games whereas “settling” ones require contemplation and consideration e.g., reading and grammar exercises. By dividing a lesson into a series of short and simple raise-settle-raise-settle activities, learner interest should be maintained thus resulting hopefully in better learning.
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