Hot Tips for Teachers

30+ Steps to Student Engagement

Mark Reardon, Rob Abernathy

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781632205582
• eBook ISBN: 9781632209740
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

These teaching tips help educators grab and maintain students' attention through engaging presentation techniques for tone of voice, body language, pacing, and graphic displays.Each tip includes an explanation of the strategy, an activity to help readers integrate the skill into their repertoire, a learning strategy, and a self-reflection prompt.

Part 1

HotTips for Opening the Lesson

Student engagement happens in a myriad of ways. Catching students’ attention at the start of the day or lesson makes it easier to keep them tuned in for the rest of the time. You have several options for creating an atmosphere of purposeful engagement from the very beginning so every student learns in every lesson, every day. You may choose to captivate them from the moment they see your doorway (Draw the Learning Line) or during the opening moments of the class or day (Ask Opening Questions, Flash Review-Preview Cards). You can also entice them through the room setup (Fill Your Room with I.D. Posters, Envision Engaging Environments, Get Visual) and in the way you introduce your class (Create Infomercials, Preview Coming Attractions).

Draw the Learning Line

Make a brightly colored “learning line” at the doorway to remind everyone entering the classroom to bring a positive attitude toward learning and each other.

One great benefit of being human is the ability to choose. We have choices about most of the events in our lives: what we wear, what we eat, what we drive, who we hang around with, and how we spend our time. Our ability to choose extends to how we feel, what we think, and how we act. We can even choose our attitude at any given moment.

Given this truth, here’s an interesting question: What would your classroom be like if students arrived with a willing attitude, ready to participate and learn? Could you accomplish more? Use your time more productively? Reteach less? Most likely! So let’s create such an environment. Let’s capitalize on the human ability to choose in order to create an atmosphere where learning and learners are supported and nurtured.

Have a conversation with your students. Ask them, “What makes for a class from which everyone can benefit?” Record their responses on the chalkboard or chart paper. Feel free to add your ideas as well. If the students don’t mention “attitude” or “frame of mind,” suggest these and add them to the list.

You might remind students that everyone in class has the right to learn, and that each person’s mood, frame of mind, or attitude (yours included) affects the whole class’s ability to learn well. (You may want to use the first paragraph of this HotTip to point out how easy and natural it is to make choices.)

Now suggest the idea of a “learning line”—a line drawn on the floor at the doorway that reminds each person who enters to choose a willing, cooperative, respectful attitude. Role-play crossing the line and transforming your attitude from one of lethargy and grumpiness to one of possibility, interest, and empathy. Let students know that you understand they have a life outside your class—family, extracurricular activities, jobs, and friends—and that bad things can happen in life, affecting their attitude. The learning line is not meant to discount those events and experiences, but it is meant to remind everyone—the teacher included—how our attitude influences our ability to learn.

Making It Mine

After you and your students have talked about the power of choice and have agreed to make this concept work to your advantage, paint a colorful line at the threshold of your classroom door (or use colored tape). Stencil “Learning Line” on it. Make the line cheerful and fun, and watch how it changes even your attitude!

Reach for the Stars!

Use the stars below to monitor your progress.

I have this tip down cold!

It is familiar territory.

This tip feels like a new pair of shoes.

If a colleague asked you about Draw the Learning Line, what would you say? Write your an...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Where to Find Stuff
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part 1: HotTips for Opening the Lesson
• Part 2: HotTips for Conducting the Lesson 45
• Part 3: HotTips for Closing the Lesson or Unit
• Further Learning
• About the Authors