The semester just started and you have 150 names to remember…and you must do it fast! Students feel marginalized when you can’t remember their names:

• I’m insignificant
• Mr. S doesn’t notice me
• I’m not important
• Mr. S doesn’t like me
• I’m invisible
• Mr. S knows other student’s names. He must like them better

A number of years ago, for some odd reason, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie came up in class. I referred to them reflexively as Brangelina. I was struck by how every kid knew exactly whom I was referring to. Hmmmm! Perhaps, I thought, I could do the same thing with a student’s first and last names. This was the birth of the Celebrity Couple Nickname Game. It has:

• Been a fun bonding tool
• Allowed me to remember student names
• Created powerful allegiance to my class

Ten days into class, you don’t want to be saying, “Hey…you in the brown shirt, what’s the answer to #10?”

Listen to these incredible student voices promote the power of this technique!

Episode Template

The Problem:

It’s hard to remember student names.

The Solution:

Play the Celebrity Couple Nickname Game.

What You Can Do Tomorrow?

• Take your seating chart and create celebrity nicknames out of the first and last names.
• Present examples.
• Challenge kids to morph your name. 
• Deputize your students to create their own celebrity nicknames.
• Present students with your creation. 

You can’t engage kids if you don’t know their names. Creating celebrity nicknames will transform this tedious chore into a fun game.  

It is my great pleasure to announce that my book…“Hacking Engagement”, is actively seeking a home on your bookshelf! Mark Barnes interviewed me about my book for his Hack Learning Podcast. I liked the interview so much that I published it on the Hacking Engagement Podcast. Listen and you’ll learn a lot about my book…and hopefully, be motivated to spring for a copy!

Enduring a meal with an obnoxious co-worker, relative, or acquaintance is painful…but it’s just one meal. Imagine an adolescent version of this person striding into your class. Now, you’re confronted with the daily drudgery of interacting with a very biased kid who’s quick to profess his bizarre theories. Most importantly, his captive audience…the remainder of your students, will be subjected to his monologues too.

But your new student isn’t your crazy uncle. You simply MUST engage him. That’s your job. This obligation may seem distasteful, but flip your paradigm and embrace this as an amazing learning opportunity. This difficult student will be your teacher. He’ll expose your biases, your triggers, your limited perspectives. He’ll engage your empathy, your objectivity, and your fair-mindedness.

Your mantra moving forward is: I’m going to bond with this kid.

• Try engaging him in casual conversation about non-controversial topics
• Try engaging him by smiling frequently
• Try engaging him by greeting him warmly…whenever possible
• Try engaging him by complimenting him when he’s deserving
• Try engaging him by taking an interest in what he does outside of school
• Try engaging him by helping him express himself in more effective and succinct ways
• Try engaging him by keeping your cool when he spouts something disgusting

If you’re able to engage this problem child, benefits will abound:

• Archie Jr. will succeed academically
• Archie Jr. will succeed socially
• You will confront your biases
• You will become more empathetic

Episode Template

The Problem:

Some problem kids can wreck a classroom atmosphere.

The Solution:

Embrace the challenge of bonding with this kid.

What You Can Do Tomorrow?

• List attitudes or dispositions you detest.
• Find difficult students on your roster.
• Practice holding your tongue.
• Produce some empathy.

Embrace the mantra, I’m going to engage with this kid. Make this engagement mantra materialize by creating a list of strategies you’ll implement, particularly the next time your problem child bellows one of his or her conspiracy theories. See the list above for ideas. Just remember, the focus is to bond, not to pound your chest and put the kid in their place.

Listen to this episode for more detail: 

Socrates understood formative assessment 2500 years ago. His student would make an assertion and then the Great One would start probing. Much like an annoying 3-year-old, he’d keep asking questions and then follow ups. Socrates’ good natured interrogations would cause students to bob and weave…refine and alter. Eventually, the young Athenian would strike bedrock. In the process of finding that firm foundation, this ancient adolescent would demonstrate a solid and evolving understanding of the concept. They still may disagree with classmates and Socrates for that matter, but those disagreements would be based on reason.

Unfortunately, when it comes to complex ideas in modern classrooms, many students keep a low profile, totally disengaged, profoundly intimidated. In order to bring such students out of the weeds and into the intellectual light of day, copy the Great One and conduct a Socratic Circle.

Here’s a blog I authored in 2013 on how to setup an epic Socratic Circle.

But, perhaps you’ve tried a Socratic Circle and it didn’t end well. That’s where my guest Michaella Young comes in. Michaella is one of those student voices…primary sources…that I love to feature.

Please consider Michaella your Socratic Circle Customer Service Rep. She’ll give you advice on how you can fix yours up, or give you the confidence to try one!

Episode Template

The Problem:

Many Socratic Circles are unsuccessful.

The Solution:

Let a Socratic Circle expert guide you on how to plan, then execute, a great one.

What You Can Do Tomorrow?

• Designate an upcoming, meaty, complex topic for a Socratic Circle.
• Create a number of thought-provoking prompts and provide them to the students prior to the circle.
• Divide the class into 2 groups.
• Only intervene when necessary.

Socratic Circles are an engaging way to help all students grasp complex ideas. They also constitute a wonderful formative assessment.  

Listen to this episode for more detail:

I have to confess, I love it when I’m supplied a template. My editor imposed a template on me for Hacking Engagement. I’d have been lost without it. K-12 education seems a lot like a huge rigid template. In fact, schools are darned similar to standardized mass production facilities. And therein lies the problem. While templates provide direction and form, they’re incredibly restrictive.

Brian Sztabnik believes that creativity, student discovery, and self-directed learning can be stifled by over-reliance on templates. He urges teachers to take a courageous step and remove the training wheels.

Brian is an exceptional AP English teacher from Long Island. His website and podcast Talks with Teachers is exceedingly popular. Brian is all about collaboration and his efforts led to the creation of an amazing book…“The Best Lesson Series Literature: 15 Master Teachers Share What Works”

@TalksWTeachers

Listen to this episode and work up the gumption to remove the security blanket from students.

Episode Template (I’m well aware of the irony)

The Problem:

Writing templates restrict creativity.

The Solution:

Challenge students with an open-ended writing prompt.

What You Can Do Tomorrow?

• Create a sparse prompt.
• Include a word count.
• Help kids with writer’s block.
• BE PATIENT

Engagement is stifled by rigidly detailed writing prompts. Find the courage to open the door to epic expression!

Listen to this episode for more detail:

50 minutes is a long time. When’s the last time you were engaged for 50 solid minutes? Interestingly enough…we expect our kids to be engaged for a solid 50 minutes every day.

We need to plan for student engagement just like we plan for covering the learning target. To help us in this noble quest is educator, author, podcaster, wife, and mother Gretchen Schultek Bridgers.

@GSchultek

Gretchen’s Book:

Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You In College

Gretchen’s Website:

http://alwaysalesson.com/

Episode Template

The Problem:

It’s hard to keep students engaged for 50 solid minutes.

The Solution:

Include engagement in lesson planning.

What You Can Do Tomorrow?

• Chunk your lesson.
• Formulate an engagement strategy for each chunk.
• Anticipate student disengagement…who and when.
• Include peer teaching.
• Constantly debrief.

Learn to navigate the ebb and flow of student engagement. Enter your room tomorrow with confidence and enthusiasm!

Listen to this episode for more detail:

I was a history major in college. I was thoroughly invested in my discipline. But even me, a history geek, struggled during marathon lectures. And you should’ve seen my classmates. It was often a massacre. I remember thinking, This is a darned passive way to learn. I could read what he’s saying in a book. I felt like a prisoner with no control. And remember, I was a guy who loved history.

This is relevant because I teach dual enrollment history to high school juniors and seniors. Dual enrollment is a college course brought to the high school campus. A few years ago, my principal asked me to teach such a course. The sponsoring college made clear their expectation that lecture would be a big part of the class. I was initially reluctant because I remembered my comatose classmates back in college. I didn’t want to do that to my kids.  

Regardless of my hesitancy, I signed on. My challenge was to make lectures engaging. I certainly wasn’t going to stand in front of them and drone on. I decided to try something new.

Kylie Stickrath is one of those awesome student voices (primary sources) that’s going to urge you to give flipped presentations a try! Kylie was skeptical about flipped presentations. Once she experienced a good one…she became a full-fledged convert! Listen and see if she can convert you!

Here are some great platforms for flipped presentation creation:

moovly.com/

prezi.com/

powtoon.com/

mysimpleshow.com/

@kyliestickrath

Episode Template

The Problem:

Students are disengaged and downright fidgety during lectures and presentations.

The Solution:

Give a flipped presentation a try.

What You Can Do Tomorrow?

• Pick a presentation to flip. 
• Select a number of public domain images.
• Record the lecture and then upload it to YouTube.
• Have students apply what they’ve learned the next day in class.
• Constantly debrief.

Watching videos is what this generation does. So when in Rome….do like the Romans. Create an engaging flipped lecture and upload it to YouTube. This format empowers students to be self-directed.

Listen to this episode for more detail:

A few years ago, our administration got all exercised over the yoga pants epidemic. Perhaps because I’m a dude and I don’t care much about dress code, it was tough for me to get excited about the Banning Yoga Pants Crusade. I watched the battle unfold instead of participating in the combat. It was fascinating. The conservative forces of the status quo lost big-time! They got buried under an avalanche of spandex. I knew the war was lost when I went to a basketball game and saw a lot 30 and 40 something moms sporting yoga pants. I recently commented to my students about this struggle, “Girls…when it came to yoga pants, you just wore everyone down.” A proud young female nodded and said, “We sure did.”

Don’t get buried!

If you listen to this episode and think, Well, if we put those kids in uniforms that problem will be solved…you’re missing the larger point. Whether or not girls wear yoga pants to school is merely a manifestation of a larger phenomenon:

When teachers battle against powerful social trends, they risk becoming irrelevant

To demonstrate the timeless nature of such struggles, I decided to commission a student voice. Lynne Sturtevant graduated from high school…45 YEARS AGO! Her story about the generational struggle at her school should reassure you. There’s truly nothing new in the world! Lynne will give you great advice on how to be calm and allow your students to express themselves generationally!

My big sister in 1970

My big sister in 2016 @LynneSturtevant

Lynne authored 2 books about the history of Marietta, Ohio:

Haunted Marietta: History and Mystery in Ohio’s Oldest City

A Guide to Historic Marietta, Ohio

Episode Template

The Problem:

You risk alienating students by battling powerful social trends.

The Solution:

Evaluate the relevance of your classroom policies.

What You Can Do Tomorrow?

• Create a SurveyMonkey about school and classroom policies.
• Play devil’s advocate in the ensuing class discussion. 
• Challenge students to embark on a nostalgia hunt.
• Encourage kids to contact a decision maker advocating for the retention or elimination of a policy.
• In the privacy and safety of your empty classroom, evaluate your classroom policies.

Teachers undermine student engagement when they cling stubbornly to out-of-date policies. Let them help you out of the abyss.

Listen to the episode for more detail:

When I was in 3rd grade, the last thing in the world I wanted to do was read a book. Debbie Olsen, an inclusion teacher from Long Island, New York, certainly recognizes this attitude. So, she decided to use Voxer, the 21st Century Walkie Talkie, to get 9-year-old boys excited about reading. Listen to this episode and you’ll be hooked on Voxer’s potential to engage your reluctant readers!  

Inner Beyoncé?????

Debbie is entering her 25^th year of teaching. Much of that time has been spent in Bay Shore, New York as an inclusion teacher. She’s also worked as the building Literacy Coordinator for many years. Reading is her true passion. She loves to share that passion with her students. Debbie believes every child can love reading, if we get the right books in their hands. You can find her on Twitter, @olsencrew.  If you are looking to try ‘Voxing’ with your class and want to talk it through, her Voxer handle is olsencrew. You can also email her at olsencrew95@gmail.com. She’d love to connect with you!

Here’s Debbie’s letter home to parents describing Voxer:

Voxer Bookclub

Episode Template

The Problem:

Boys aren’t excited about reading.

The Solution:

Hook them by creating a Voxer reading group.

What You Can Do Tomorrow: 

• Craft a letter to parents explaining your objectives.
• Demonstrate Voxer.
• Designate a reading for the full Voxer treatment.

Create a Voxer book club. It’s a cool way to hook reluctant readers.

Listen to the episode for more detail:

For the past 30 years, Penny Sturtevant has been a science teacher, a guidance counselor, an assistant principal, a principal, and next year, she’ll work at the district level. Oh…she’s also my wife. Penny has observed her share of lessons. When I asked her about student engagement, she responded immediately, “QUESTIONS.” Quite simply, Penny believes that questioning students is an essential art that can be mastered with practice. In 500 BCE, asking students strategic questions was the foundation of Socrates’ instruction. His pedagogy has been celebrated for 2500 years. Penny will help you harness this timeless and powerful educational tactic, not only to engage, but also to foster deep understanding!

@psturtevant5

Episode Template

The Problem:

Teacher questions are often arbitrary and ineffective.

The Solution:

Include creating great questions and plan when and how to ask them.

What You Can Do Tomorrow: 

• Evaluate the essential questions.
• Create a handful of follow-ups.
• Highlight your seating chart.
• Decide where and how in tomorrow’s lesson you’ll unleash these questions.
• Encourage students to formulate questions. 

Essential questions are merely a starting point. Engage learners by going deeper with irresistible questions asked in a strategic manner.

Listen to the episode for more detail: