James Sturtevant Hacking Engagement

Latest Episodes:

62-Engage with me about Engagement on the #HackLearning Twitter Chat Jul 06, 2017

Show notes

On Sunday morning July 9th, from 8:30 to 9:00 AM EST, I will moderate the #HackLearning Twitter Chat. This is in preparation for the release of my second engagement book "Hacking Engagement Again", which will be available in early August. Please participate! Here are the questions:
8:37-Q1: How do you engage students with lesson hooks?
8:45-Q2: What are some strategies that can make lessons ultra-engaging?
8:52-Q3: How can the assessment of student learning be conducted in a way that engages learners?
Even if you're not available to participate, check out #HackLearning after the fact and see how educators and students from around the world answered these transformational prompts.

61-2 6th Graders from OKC Evaluate Their Teacher's Lesson...Starring Jon Belt, Jordan Flowers, and Conner Odom Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

Jon Belt teaches 6th grade at Mayfield Middle School in Oklahoma City. Jordan Flowers and Conner Odom are 2 students in Jon's class. This episode is about Jon introducing learning stations in a lesson. The stations mirror the READS method which Jon details in the episode. Introducing movement and structure to class is something all educators should strive for weekly. This episode is worthy for its promotion of this concept, but as I interviewed this empathetic educator and his wonderful young students, another even more powerful dynamic surfaced. Jon Belt has fostered a learning environment where students feel totally comfortable helping Mr. Belt become a better teacher. He asks them to evaluate his teaching and they freely comply in positive and constructive ways. Displaying this powerful and positive dynamic is just as, if not more, important than the excellent learning tactic Jon describes.
When I was in 6th grade many moons ago, my teacher was not to be evaluated by students. If I would have offered some teaching advice, I may have ended up on the business end of her paddle. Now, please don't interpret this wrong. I had wonderful teachers growing up. I loved my 6th-grade teacher, Mrs. Bates. It was just a different era. My wonderful teachers would have been even more effective if they would have included, then acted upon, student input.

60-Morph your Kids into Photojouranalists...Starring Alexandra Lang Jun 21, 2017

Show notes

Certainly, you’ve heard the old cliché A picture is worth a thousand words. I did some research on this statement and was delighted to learn that prior to photography, individuals used to say, A painting is worth a thousand words. Images, whether captured or manufactured, are powerful. I cannot remember that last Tweet I sent that was imageless. Social media is fueled by compelling images. We need to capitalize on this natural human attraction.
Here are five iconic images from American history:
1. The painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware
2. The WWI Uncle Sam recruiting poster
3. The Marines hoisting the flag on Iwo Jima
4. Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office beside a stunned and blood-stained Jackie Kennedy
5. Associates of Dr. King standing over his body pointing towards an assassin
Do any of these descriptions conjure up mental images? Do they inspire emotions, or perhaps personal narratives? If you weren’t familiar with some of these images, did you Google the description out of curiosity?
This episode will demonstrate how to use images in 3 powerful ways:
1. To help students understand and a profound concept
2. To empower students to create and manipulate images to express themselves
3. To hook students in preparation for an impactful lesson

59-Sometimes you Need to be the Sage on Stage...let Pear Deck Help Jun 14, 2017

Show notes

Modern educators are discouraged from being the sage on stage. As the overused cliché goes..."Instead of being the sage on stage, be the guide on the side." I'm not a huge fan of this mantra. I understand the need for presentation styles to evolve, but sometimes you need to jump up in front of your kids and inspire them! Even though much of my instruction is flipped, it’s still important to present in front of students. While my kids enjoy my recordings, periodically I treat them to a live performance. A few years ago, my wife and I watched Jersey Boys on the big screen and then we saw it live on stage. There was no comparison. Sometimes, you have to go all Broadway on your kids. Sometimes, you need to be the sage on stage. And here, is where Pear Deck makes its dramatic appearance.

58-Dishin' with the HyperDocs Girls Jun 07, 2017

Show notes

Kelly Hilton, Lisa Highfill, and Sarah Landis are the co-creators of HyperDocs and authors of the HyperDocs Handbook. These ladies have designed a remarkable website providing teachers with digital lesson templates and plenty of sample HyperDocs. Aside from outstanding organization, the templates are beautiful, which should never be underestimated.
I became aware of HyperDocs because of my mentor Kristen Kovak. Not long ago, Kristen waltzed into my room and challenged your humble narrator to start utilizing HyperDocs. In the short time that I've used them, HyperDocs have transformed my Google Classroom feed.

57-Escape Rooms Encourage Students to Sneak Out of your Class...Starring Kayla DeMuth May 31, 2017

Show notes

Kristen Macklin and Jason Manly are Escape Room Architects. Kristen is a District Media Specialist and Jason a District Instructional Facilitator. When I asked Kristen where she got the idea for student escape rooms, she answered quickly, “Our principal went to one with his kids and loved it. Then, Spanish teacher Jennifer Zimmer appeared and asked for an assessment idea. I did a little research, found an article about educational escape rooms, and then approached Jason Manly with the concept.” What happens next is magical!

56-Multiply yourself by 26 with Class Playlists...Starring Tracy Enos and Heather Roberti May 24, 2017

Show notes

I love Spotify. I’ve created a number of cool playlists. My music is known to get guests moving at parties. Most of my playlists consist of songs from my younger days...1970s and 80s R&B. My wife enjoys much of my music, but not all. When I do chores around my house, I often put on my headphones and listen to some of my more ostentatious old skool jamz that I’m certain my wife won’t like. In other words, I personalize my musical consumption. That’s the beauty of the playlists. They provide anytime anywhere jamz on demand. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could personalize tomorrow’s lesson in the same way?
Tracy Enos and her twin sister Heather Roberti are two outstanding middle school educators from West Warwick, Rhode Island. Tracy teaches ELA and Heather is a Math teacher. Both enlightened your humble narrator about the beauty of class playlists. The idea is simple, elegant, and contemporary.

55-Give Students Virtually no Instructions...Starring Charlie Smith May 17, 2017

Show notes

Picture this...tomorrow you stroll confidently into your first-period class. You gleefully announce the day's essential question. You observe with satisfaction the looks on thirty adolescent faces as their intellectual gears perk to life and start rotating. You then point out that 5 minutes of the class is already in the rear-view mirror, so they better get cracking! You spend the remainder of the period gliding from group to group challenging, inspiring, coaching, offering new perspectives, evaluating, and congratulating. This, my dear friends, is the classroom of the future!

54-Morph Student Identities...Starring Spencer Cappel and Josh Kent May 10, 2017

Show notes

I'm certain most of my listeners have employed simulations and role play in their class. It's a great way to learn. This episode demonstrates how you can combine role-play and simulations with my favorite student activity.
I love Socratic seminars! They’re the embodiment of self-directed learning and student collaboration. Kids take a complex topic, learn about it, and then sit in a circle with their peers and apply it, discuss it, explain it, and ask questions to one another. My experience has been that concepts, events, and topics covered in this fashion leads to deep understanding and significant engagement. But everything, even things you and your students love, will get old if you don’t alter it occasionally.
I faced this dilemma in teaching the incredibly complex topic which is the Syrian Civil War. I wanted students to engage in a Socratic Seminar, but I wanted it to be different. We had conducted a number of such seminars and I felt the format was getting a bit stale. So...I decided that in order for my students to understand the Syrian Civil War, they needed to become the powerful actors involved.

53-Entice Kids to Confront Their Phone Obsession and Actually Look Up...AT YOU...Starring Nahom Buckles May 03, 2017

Show notes

It's so discouraging! You're preaching the gospel of education, enlightenment, self-improvement, promoting humanities' greatest ideas...but then you notice that many kids are staring intently down at their laps. Unfortunately, you know why. They need to put that sweet pair of shoes on their Amazon Wishlist before you notice them obsessing over their screens and redirect them.
As a contemporary instructor, I've felt this profound burn. I'll bet you have too. Some teachers are totally hard-nosed. They don't give the kids an inch on phone use during instruction. If that's you...RESPECT! However I, like I suspect many teachers, am not so stern when it comes to students and their phones. Plus, kids are darned adept at subtle screen time. And let's not forget, students can use their devices in class in the pursuit of knowledge. While I'm uncomfortable with prohibition, I'd certainly love to see kids to stare at their phones less during strategic moments of instruction.
In this episode, I promote enlightenment over prohibition. I do this with the InTheMoment App.

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