Teaching & presentation methods
The 13 structuring models you can build a course to.
Choosing a presentation model
A presentation model is the skeleton your course hangs on. Nalanda offers 13; pick one per course and the AI structures the outline and slides to it.
Minto Pyramid Principle
Lead with the answer / governing thought, then support it with grouped arguments, then the detail - a top-down pyramid. Arguments at each level are MECE (m...
Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction
Nine sequenced events that mirror how people learn: (1) gain attention (2) state objectives (3) recall prior learning (4) present the content (5) provide g...
Assertion-Evidence
Each slide is one full-sentence assertion as the headline, supported by visual evidence (a chart, image, table) - not a list of fragments. The words carry ...
SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, Answer)
Set the shared Situation, introduce the Complication that disrupts it, surface the Question it raises, deliver the Answer (which becomes your governing tho...
PREP (Point, Reason, Example, Point)
State your Point, give the Reason, ground it with an Example, restate the Point. Tight and self-contained.
Problem, Solution, Benefit
Name the Problem the learner has, present the Solution, make the Benefit concrete and personal.
Rule of Three
Group ideas in threes - three points, three examples, three takeaways. Three is the smallest number that makes a pattern and the largest most people hold a...
Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle
Learning as a cycle: Concrete Experience -> Reflective Observation -> Abstract Conceptualization -> Active Experimentation - do, reflect, theorize, apply.
What, So What, Now What
What happened (facts) -> So What does it mean (analysis) -> Now What do we do (action).
The 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate)
Engage curiosity -> Explore with a task -> Explain the concept -> Elaborate to new contexts -> Evaluate understanding.
Monroe's Motivated Sequence
Five steps to move an audience to act: Attention -> Need -> Satisfaction -> Visualization -> Action. Grab attention, establish the need, satisfy it with yo...
Duarte Sparkline
Alternate between what is and what could be, building tension across the talk, ending on a new normal. Story-shaped rather than list-shaped.
AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)
Attention (hook) -> Interest (relevance) -> Desire (want it) -> Action (do it). A persuasion funnel.