James Sturtevant Hacking Engagement

Picture this, you’re having a medical procedure done. Before they put you under, you tell the doctor, “I want you to perform this procedure from memory. You’re absolutely not permitted to use any resources. You may not look at your phone, consult the internet, and you’re especially not allowed to ask other doctors for help. If you don’t complete the procedure within an hour, you must put down your instruments and exit the operating room!”

It would be hard to imagine many patients surviving such a setup. And yet, that’s pretty much what teachers do to kids daily. No wonder many students suffer from test anxiety. Michael Dunlea will challenge conventional thinking when it comes to assessment.

Picture this...you're enjoying a hot cup of Joe on your back patio on a brilliant and crisp April Saturday morning. After a few sips and deep breathes, you check your phone and notice that you'd been mentioned in a tweet. You probably should just put your phone away and continue to bask in the sunshine and the coffee, but curiosity gets the best of you. You follow the signal to Twitter and are ushered into one of the most satisfying experiences of your career! A mom is congratulating you on your lesson prompt enticing students to eat mindfully. Intrigued? I hope so! Please give a listen!

Presenting to kids in the 21st Century ain't easy! It's hard to engage them...then maintain their interest. When I presented in the past, I was always hypersensitive about my student's engagement level. I'd worry...Did I lose him? Is she listening? He looks like he's nodding off! How can I cover what I need to in the next 5 minutes? I consider myself an engaging presenter, but I was struggling! I needed a new way to do things.

My fascinating educator Voxer group made a remarkable book recommendation last summer. I was guided toward Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. Occasionally, I've run across books that alter my paradigm fundamentally. That was certainly the case with Garr's!

Please listen to this episode and learn how I transformed my presentations. Problem solved!

When I asked Jennifer about engagement, I figured she’d offer some high-tech contraption or exotic electronic technique. But while she loves those excursions, she’s also all about relationships, “Our students have hidden talents. In my English class, I encouraged kids to perform for their peers. We called it the Open Mic. These were tight and intimate experiences." Listen and learn how to create your own Open Mic Experience!

Trying to determine what another is thinking is one of life’s great challenges. You may have spent the majority of a first date wondering just that! Understanding another’s preferences can save time, effort, and money. So, when it comes to our student’s preferences, let’s become detective-like and solve some mysteries with SurveyMonkey.

Sara Sawdey has a knack for engaging 6-year-old boys who instead of sitting in class learning to read and write, would rather be in the gym playing dodgeball. Sara took some of these squirmy guys and transformed them into the Vowel Squad. The Vowel Squad then embarked on a journey of deep understanding and peer teaching!

Google is the way people in the 21st Century collaborate. Are you using this tool in your classroom? If not, you’re missing a golden engagement opportunity. In this episode, We’ll explore how to introduce Google into your classroom even if you don’t teach at a Google school!

Jen Wilson is the “Quick Response Woman”. She advocates engaging reluctant readers with QR codes. Give a listen and learn how to use QR codes, in every grade and in every subject, to engage learners!

Teachers are often lectured, “Get to know your students!” That’s not easy to do. A lot of kids can be pretty closed down and if you try to get to know them before they’re ready…it can be counter productive. This episode offers a different approach to bonding with students. Try reverse engineering these relationships!

Andy Jados is a high school principal who’s not afraid to admit that he struggled with classroom management as a teacher. Listen to his fascinating story about how he turned his class around…and how he now helps struggling teachers transform their classrooms!