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Just Ask Us

Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement

By: Heather Wolpert-Gawron

Foreword by Carol Radford

Based on over 1000 nationwide student surveys, these 10 deep engagement strategies help you implement achievement-based cooperative learning. Includes video and a survey sample.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781506363288
Published By: Corwin
Series: Corwin Teaching Essentials
Year: 2017
Page Count: 256
Publication date: October 04, 2017

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Review Copies

Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.

Description

Use these 10 strategies to teach and communicate content that sticks!

Students learn best when collaborating, talking, and working with their peers. That’s what Edutopia blogger and education expert Heather Wolpert-Gawron discovered when she surveyed students nationwide. Now you can hear from the students themselves and discover 10 comprehensive and fresh ideas on precisely what and how to capture your students’ imagination and minds for deep learning, everyday.

This research-based approach to cooperative learning provides plentiful lesson ideas, vignettes, videos, and insightful student interviews to help you:

Understand the research base for collaborative learning
Implement and manage competitively cooperative student work group
Incorporate movement, visual tools, and technology
Develop achievement-based PBL projects
Conduct your own student survey for increased student choice

Move beyond just teaching content. Build a strong classroom community where students chew on, process, mull over, and retain information everyday using these 10 deep engagement strategies!

Key features

This book will include:

A copy of the survey so that teachers can give the survey to their own classes

Voices from students about what engages them
Vignettes from teachers who model these high-engagement strategies
Lesson ideas from across discipline areas
Video interviews with students
Videos of the author & a couple other teachers modeling each engagement strategy

Author(s)

Heather Wolpert-Gawron

Heather Wolpert-Gawron is an award-winning middle school teacher. She is a staff blogger for Edutopia.org and shares all things middle school at tweenteacher .com. She has been a proud member of the California Writing Project since 2008. She is the author of the following books: DIY for Project Based Learning for ELA and History, DIY for Project Based Learning for Math and Science, Writing Behind Every Door: Teaching Common Core Writing in the Content Areas and ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers. Heather is passionate about project-based learning and believes the Maker Movement for teachers is in curriculum design. Heather believes curriculum design itself should tell a story, and she helps her students craft the tale. Heather lives with her husband and two boys in Los Angeles where they play Dungeons & Dragons every week, building their cross-over stories and adventures together. Follow Heather on Twitter: @tweenteacher.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

The Importance of Student Engagement

Pedagogy Versus Personality

An Argument: What Engages Teachers Also Engages Students

A Brief Note on Brain Research and Student Engagement

The Engagement Survey Process

How Is This Book Different From Others?

Student Engagement Survey

1. Let Us Work Together

Overview

Setting Up Group Work for Success

Competitive Learning Can Still Be Collaborative Learning

An Awesome Byproduct: Stronger Classroom Community

What Collaboration Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

2. Make Learning More Visual and Utilize Technology

Overview

This Is Our Brain on Visuals

Learning Through Visuals

The One Visual Tool to Rule Them All: Technology

What Using More Visuals (and Technology) Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

3. Connect What We Learn to the Real World

Overview

PBL Isn’t Just About Engagement; It’s Also About Achievement

Breaking Down the Parts of PBL

Finding an Authentic Goal for Your PBL Unit

What Meaningful Learning Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

4. Let Us Move Around

Overview

What More Movement Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

5. Give Us Choices

Overview

The Academic Benefits of Student Choice

Keeping Structure While Giving Freedom

What Giving Student Choice Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

6. Show Us You’re Human Too

Overview

Unabashedly Show That You Care About the Content

Unabashedly Show That You Care About the Students

The Power of Humor in the Classroom

Using Personal Stories as a Tool for Engagement

Being Fallible to Help Students Understand Learning

What Being More Human Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

7. Help Us Create Something With What We’ve Learned

Overview

Consumption Versus Creation

Creating and Making in Every Subject Area

Creation and the Role of Technology

What Creation Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

8. Teach Us Something New in a New Way

Overview

The Detrimental Practice of Overreviewing

Stepping Out of Our Wheelhouse to Model Learning

What Opening Eyes to New Concepts Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Discussion Questions

9. Mix Things Up

Overview

Learning Styles Versus Multiple Intelligences

What Mixing Up Our Implementation Looks Like in the Classroom

Engaging Teacher Spotlight

Conclusion

It’s Hard to Be Engaging

What to Expect When You Adopt These Strategies

References

Index

Reviews

"Just Ask Us: Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement is an outstanding resource manual for teachers to increase student engagement. Each chapter includes extensive quotes from students that support researched-based best practices. Diagrams and photos of student work illustrate how students can effectively work together and use more visually stimulated methods to connect their learning to real world applications."

Mary Ann Burke, Ed.D., Author, Trainer, and Co-Founder
Generational Parenting Blog at GenParenting.com, San Jose, CA

"Heather Wolpert-Gawron meshes her teaching experience with extensive student feedback to offer sage advice and a clear argument as to the importance of increased student engagement in their learning environments. She provides practical application that will help teachers everywhere up their game in providing students the right foundation for deeper connections to their learning."

Janelle McLaughlin, Educational Consultant
Innovative Education Solutions, Manchester, IN

"Just Ask Us: Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement is not only a quality read, but also a fresh perspective beyond just providing interesting lessons. It clearly states that student engagement is directly connected to academic content and outcomes."

Julie Frederick, Nationally Board Certified Kindergarten Teacher
Broadview Thomson K-8, Seattle WA

"Any teacher who ever wanted to poll students about what works best for them when learning, and really using the data received to help students, should read this book. The research behind WHY the ideas presented work, and the practical strategies suggested are also great bonuses."

Patrick Pergola, 7th Grade Science Teacher
Sparta Middle School, Sparta, NJ

Other Titles in: Student Engagement & Motivation | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles | Secondary Education

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Related Resources

Access to companion resources is available with the purchase of this book.