Total Participation Techniques

Making Every Student an Active Learner

Pérsida Himmele, William Himmele

• Publisher: ASCD
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN: 9781416634201
• eBook ISBN: 9781416634225
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Classroom Management

The acclaimed guide for student participation, now with updated resources and more than 60 classroom techniques.

Research has shown time and again that the traditional stand-and-deliver lessons—the dreaded long, drawn-out lectures—don't help students learn.

Active participation is the key to keeping students cognitively engaged in the learning process. Teaching and literacy experts Pérsida Himmele and William Himmele have refined their Total Participation Techniques (TPTs) for 15 years, helping tens of thousands of K–12 teachers transform their classrooms from passively disengaged to completely and actively engaged.

In addition to authentic classroom examples, step-by-step instructions, and reproducible blackline masters for response cards and posters, this third edition comes equipped with
• New and updated TPTs to use with students, both individually and in groups.
• More information about building classroom community and checking for understanding.
• Updated guidance for using TPTs with multilingual learners and students who struggle academically.

Teachers who use TPTs in their classrooms report that these strategies build student confidence because they provide compelling and safe ways to demonstrate knowledge and understanding during lessons. This book is an essential toolkit for teachers who want to present lessons that are relevant, engaging, and cognitively challenging so that every student can become an active learner.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Section 1. TPTs and Engagement
• Chapter 1. TPTs and Listening Objects
• Chapter 2. TPT Foundational Principle #1: The Ripple
• Chapter 3. TPT Foundational Principle #2: The Cognitive Engagement Model
• Section 2. Classroom-Ready TPTs
• Chapter 4. TPT Tools and Supplies
• Chapter 5. On-the-Spot TPTs
• Chapter 6. TPT Hold-Ups
• Chapter 7. TPTs Involving Movement
• Chapter 8. TPTs to Guide Note Taking and Concept Analysis
• Chapter 9. TPT Wrap-Ups
• Section 3. TPTs in More Depth
• Chapter 10. TPTs as Formative Assessment Tools
• Chapter 11. Building a TPT-Conducive Classroom
• Chapter 12. Avoiding Pitfalls
• Appendix A. Higher-Order Thinking and Depth of Knowledge
• Appendix B. Posters and Tools
• References
• About the Authors
• Related ASCD Resources
• Study Guide
• Copyright
• Back Cover