More Game-Changing Ideas
Messiness Isn't Always a Bad Thing
While a certain amount of structure can work in some classrooms, what most teachers need is some messiness—the kind of chaos that excites today’s learners. Need tips and tools to liven up your classroom? Want to reimagine your out-of-school assignments? Are you considering giving your students more autonomy or maybe injecting a little levity into your instruction?
Here are 3 more of our favorite real-world, use-tomorrow strategies to engage your students:
CREATE A CLASS PROCEDURES NIGHT AT THE IMPROV
Teachers need to think of the first day of school like opening night. What’s true for Broadway and Hollywood is also true in the classroom: Opening night can make you or break you. If audiences and critics are not engaged, a show will have a short life. If students aren’t engaged on day one, everyone could be in for a long semester.
Paranoia about anarchy is not a reason to ignore the massive engagement potential of the first classes. If you’re able to grab them by the virtual lapels on day one, you’ll generate significant enthusiasm for your class. Expectations must be communicated, but make certain to warmly embrace engagement too.
Teachers often think in terms of rules. Rules tend to be punitive. How about replacing “rules” with “procedures”? Rather than setting rigid regulations that students must adhere to or risk being disciplined, procedures offer concrete actions that can easily be followed. Framing student behavior in these terms feels more positive and empowering. Once teachers embrace procedures, they need to communicate them in a more engaging way than presenting students with a list on a sheet of paper or bullets on PowerPoint slides.
Follow the improv recipe described below and make day one a blast. You’ll empower kids to come up with remarkable improvs. They’ll frequently create hilarious scenarios with slacker rule breakers and stern authority figures. When it comes to your policies, the combination of performing an improv and participating in a debriefing discussion may lead to more student buy-in. Regardless, Class Procedures Night at the Improv will be an engaging, active, hilarious first day experience for your students.
ENGAGE THE ENRAGED
Teaching is oddly like attending a family reunion on a daily basis. There are certain kids you can’t wait to see every morning. Conversation with them is effortless. Your interactions are filled with smiles, nods, and laughter. But your classes aren’t just comprised of your hilarious uncle or your fascinating cousin. Unfortunately, there are also ultra-annoying students who make you cringe when they amble into your room. You might think of them as your annoying extended family member whose loud rants ruin everyone’s holiday.
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, and 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. Here are some ways you can attempt to engage a difficult student:
- Initiate casual conversation about non-controversial topics.
- Smile frequently.
- Greet the student warmly whenever possible.
- Offer compliments when the student deserves them.
- Take an interest in what the student does outside of school.
- Offer more effective and appropriate ways to express ideas.
- Keep your cool when the student spouts something disgusting.
Engagement is not just about getting kids to pay attention, it’s also about relationships. Teachers need to engage all their students. Obnoxious, confrontational, or irrational students present a huge challenge in this department, but they offer tremendous opportunities for growth.
GATHER STUDENTS AROUND THE CAMPFIRE
Many presentations leave their victims comatose. Challenge your students to harness the power of a great story. Enliven student presentations with the simple but profound power of storytelling.
Storytelling is a potent tool that’s woefully underused in the classroom. Not only do teachers need to tell more stories, but so do students. Stories are an awesome way to engage students. Unleash student creativity by allowing them to be the storytellers.
Here’s how:
First, familiarize students with the elements of a good story. Brian Klems has a wonderful piece in Writer’s Digest entitled “The 5 Essential Story Ingredients.” Have students read it or research elements of a good story.
Second, agree as a class on five elements and challenge kids to use those elements as a template for their stories.
Third, take whatever topic you’d like your class to work on and challenge students to bring it to life by the virtual campfire.
Fourth, on story day, break students into small groups, darken your room for impact, have your young campers activate the campfire apps on phones or Chromebooks, and then let them animate your lesson.
A Final Word
There are so many ideas out there that can transform your class – shared in books, blogs, and websites and by professional development speakers and your colleagues. If you have the commitment and fortitude to have made it to the end of this blog (and others before and after it), your heart’s in the right place.
This frame of mind is the most important part. The rest is just trial and error. Take the info here and give it a shot. Who knows? You just might discover something magical.
According to reading specialist Belkys Benison, fostering a sense of belonging is the first step in helping students get back on track:
Read the Article, Get More Insight
Are these viable solutions? What do you think?
Read More
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James, S. "The 5 Essential Story Ingredients," Writer’s Digest.
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Pink, D.H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead Books.
- Sturtevant, James A. Hacking Engagement: 50 Tips & Tools to Engage Teachers and Learners Daily.
Resources
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Some content was taken from Hacking Engagement: 50 Tips & Tools To Engage Teachers and Learners Daily by James Alan Sturtevant.
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Image of Steven James quote from Writers Digest “The 5 Essential Story Ingredients.”
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Image of student in messy classroom by Алекс Бон from Pixabay.
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