James Sturtevant Hacking Engagement

Latest Episodes:

32-Samantha Bickley and Grace Hofer are Two 16-year-olds that Will Set you Straight about Group Work Nov 22, 2016

Show notes

Teachers often group kids based on learning styles, ability, and skill sets. Such attributes are pretty easily identifiable, but teachers simply must take compatibility into account as well. I teach 9th graders. Freshmen are spastic and dramatic. If you place the wrong 15-year-olds together, the impact can be pandemic! Also, nothing frosts a motivated 15-years-old’s gourd faster than having to do all the group’s work to cover for slacker colleagues.
So...perhaps it's time to listen to two brilliant young people riff about their experiences working in groups. Samantha Bickley and Grace Hofer were in my class last year. Now they're sophomores and I miss them every day. You're going to love their humor, their spirit, and their wisdom about group dynamics!

31-Science Teacher Ryan Mocarski Takes Self-Directed Learning to a Whole New Level Nov 17, 2016

Show notes

Ryan Mocarski has taught 8th-grade science for 8 years. His 2013 book the "Mocarski Model" demonstrates how to create a PBL-centered classroom that's paperless. He believes that if you create a positive classroom environment, all students are able to become academically and socially successful.
That sounds like a pretty standard prescription...but his tactics are ground-breaking! Listen to this fascinating young teacher who fearlessly allows kids to DO NOTHING at times in his room! He also wears a suit and tie everyday!

30-Do Your Students Know how YOU Voted? Nov 10, 2016

Show notes

Contentious national and state elections are tricky. Students want to know how their teachers vote. But one sure fire way to alienate portions of your class is to be too blustery about your opinions. Instead, embrace elections as a fantastic opportunity to engage students as they try to guess where you stand.

29-Turn your Students into 5-Year-Olds Nov 03, 2016

Show notes

When you were 5-years-old and your mamma wanted a little break from the awesome responsibility of raising you, she’d give you some paper and crayons, and for the next 30 minutes, you were blissfully and silently...in the engagement zone. Across the top of the paper, you drew a blue band which represented the sky. A green band at the bottom was grass. In between in a vast white void, was perhaps your house, your dog, a tree, the sun, and a smiling stick figure you. In all honesty, from an artistic standpoint, your drawing sucked, but you didn’t care. You were totally immersed in what you were doing. When you presented it to her, your mom probably marveled at your masterpiece, but you would have been just fine without all her false praise. The truth is, you loved the creative process.

28-Charlie Rowley Encourages Teachers to let Their Freak Flag Fly Oct 27, 2016

Show notes

A few years back, Charlie Rowley became my student teacher. Charlie is a really good looking dude. He’s friendly, calm, and to top it off, he was a college football player. Many of my kids were immediately drawn to Charlie, but there was a handful who were totally closed down and not ready to give him a chance. It was like they were thinking, Oh great...another jock Social Studies teacher! I pulled Charlie aside and explained this delicate social dynamic. Charlie didn’t hesitate, “Okay...let’s see if I can win them over. This sounds like fun.” He’s a great guy.
Over the next few weeks, Charlie shelved his ego and worked hard to engage his reluctant contingent. It was working. They started warming up to him. And then one day, one of Charlie’s emerging converts made an amazing observation. Listen to this episode to learn how a simple observation from a student revolutionized Charlie's ability to engage his students!

27-Dorali Arambula...a Beautiful Young Dreamer on More Inclusive Schools Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

Dorali Arambula is senior at Westerville North High School in suburban Columbus, Ohio. Dorali was born in Mexico, but she moved to the United States at age 2. America is her home. She has no recollection of Mexico.
Dorali was in my class 2 years ago. At the end of that school year, her family moved down the road to a neighboring school. As you'll learn in the episode, It was not the first time she'd moved schools. Sit back and listen to her fascinating life journey. Sometimes she's felt welcomed and valued, other times not.
With the brutal political rhetoric we've all experienced during this election season, it's so wonderful to hear her uplifting voice! We all have a lot to learn from this beautiful dreamer!

26-Amanda Reynolds and Channeling Your Inner Yoga Teacher Oct 13, 2016

Show notes

You might be muttering, “I don’t have an inner yoga teacher.” But please consider Amanda Reynolds’ words before submitting that verdict. She’s an amazing yoga instructor. I know because I’ve taken a lot of her classes. She’s compassionate, gentle, and encouraging. She empowers stiff students to open. If you interact with Amanda outside of the studio, however, you’ll be struck by her intense Ayurvedic Pita nature. She’s enthusiastic, active, focused, and competitive. She kids me that I’m a pita too. Guilty! Amanda’s story is relevant because her daytime job is to teach high school English. She uses her yoga background to channel, and at times mask, her intensity, build relationships, and engage students,

25-The Celebrity Couple Nickname Game Oct 06, 2016

Show notes

Staring...Trevor Ambrose, Jack Belcher, Liz Bender, Mikayla Colvin, Alejandrina Hernandez, Christopher Ward
The semester just started and you have 150 names to remember...and you must do it fast! Students feel marginalized when you can't remember their names:
I’m insignificant
Mr. S doesn’t notice me
I’m not important
Mr. S doesn’t like me
I’m invisible
Mr. S knows other student’s names. He must like them better
A number of years ago, for some odd reason, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie came up in class. I referred to them reflexively as Brangelina. I was struck by how every kid knew exactly whom I was referring to. Hmmmm! Perhaps, I thought, I could do the same thing with a student's first and last names. This was the birth of the Celebrity Couple Nickname Game. It has:
Been a fun bonding tool
Allowed me to remember student names
Created powerful allegiance to my class
Ten days into class, you don’t want to be saying, “Hey…you in the brown shirt, what’s the answer to #10?”
Listen to these incredible student voices promote the power of this technique!

24-Hacking Engagement the Book Launch Oct 06, 2016

Show notes

Please check out my book on Amazon...or, go to this direct link hackingengagement.com

23-Engage the Enraged...here's what you do with those Kids that Keep you Up at Night Sep 29, 2016

Show notes

Enduring a meal with an obnoxious co-worker, relative, or acquaintance is painful...but it’s just one meal. Imagine an adolescent version of this person striding into your class. Now, you’re confronted with the daily drudgery of interacting with a very biased kid who's quick to profess his bizarre theories. Most importantly, his captive audience...the remainder of your students, will be subjected to his monologues too.
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, your limited perspectives. He’ll engage your empathy, your objectivity, and your fair-mindedness.

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