Beat Boredom

Engaging Tuned-Out Teenagers

Martha Rush

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN:
  9781003843801
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Classroom Management

Are your students bored in class? According to research, a majority of American high school students report being bored in class and fewer than 5% claimed that they were rarely bored during a typical day in school. Former journalist and veteran teacher Martha Rush decided this would not do for her Minnesota students. Moving beyond asking open-ended questions and making connections to their own lives, Martha began to engage her government, journalism, and economics classes in meaty discussions, competitions, simulations, and authentic work, like running a newspaper or starting a business. Building on her more than 800 interviews with high school graduates, she offers up strategies in all subject areas for active engagement, moving way beyond traditional passive memorization of information. She describes how to create innovative experiences in your classroom, and shares her own lessons and her students' work. Beat Boredom will help you join the ranks of teachers who have challenged the status quo and found ways to motivate even the most reluctant learners.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Boredom Is a Barrier
• Chapter 1 Engage the Students Who Need It Most
• Chapter 2 Solutions Are Within Our Reach
• Chapter 3 Storytelling: Give Students Someone (or Something) to Care About
• Chapter 4 Discussion and Debate: Trust Students to Drive Meaningful Conversation
• Chapter 5 Problem-Based Learning: Let Students Struggle with Real (Unsolved) Problems
• Chapter 6 Simulation: Immerse Students in Thoughtful Role Plays
• Chapter 7 Competition: Give Students a Chance to Prove Themselves
• Chapter 8 Authentic Tasks: Encourage Work That Matters Outside School
• Afterword
• Appendix
• References
• Index