From Seatwork to Feetwork: Engaging Students in Their Own Learning

by Ron Nash

Overview

The essential book on student engagement—now fully updated!

Learning is not a spectator sport. That’s the guiding principle behind Ron Nash’s bestseller, which has helped thousands of teachers transform their classroom environments by energizing and engaging their students. 

In the newly revised edition, Nash offers proven strategies that involve students as active participants in their own learning. Teachers of all levels will benefit from

• The latest research on exercise, learning, and brain development
• New chapters on the value of empathy and the use of feedback versus praise
• Additional material on maximizing the use of classroom time and supporting speakers and listeners
• Even more classroom examples at both the elementary and secondary levels
• Novel teaching strategies that align with the Speaking and Listening Skills requirements of the Common Core State Standards
  
  Discover—or re-discover—this trusted resource, combining down-to-earth wisdom with important insights on movement, memory, and learning.

"Mr. Nash understands learners, particularly today’s learners, and he effectively advises how to embrace their need for a more participatory role in their own learning. I recommend this book to all teachers those who are new and those who need to be "re-newed." Buy a copy, buy a new highlighter, and prepare to be inspired to make sure it is the students who are tired at the end of the school day, not the teacher."
Debbie Silver, Ed.D.
Retired teacher, author, consultant, speaker

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506338446
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/22/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Consulting Description 

See Ron's Presenter Profile Here!

Ron Nash is the author of the Corwin bestseller The Active Classroom (2008), along with The Active Teacher (2009), and The Active Mentor (2010). Nash’s professional career in education has included teaching social studies at the middle and high school levels. He also served as an instructional coordinator and organizational development specialist for the Virginia Beach City Public Schools for 13 years. In that capacity, Nash conducted workshops and seminars for thousands of teachers, administrators, substitute teachers, and teacher assistants. In 2007, he founded Ron Nash and Associates, Inc., a company dedicated to helping teachers shift students from passive observers to active participants.
 
Download Ron Nash's product brochure

“I was blown away at the conference and can't wait for the new school year to start so I can try all of the new ideas I received!”
—Audra Bounds, Teacher
Frederick County, VA

“This was the best workshop I have EVER attended!”
—Dawn Carter, Teacher
Augusta County, VA

"After teaching for 16 years, I was looking for inspiration and I found it. I'm excited to incorporate the innovative strategies Ron shared with me. The best part is the strategies are completely practical and doable."
—Joanne Jimney, Teacher
Chesapeake, VA

“Your three-hour presentation was fabulous! When teachers give a standing ovation, this is the kind of program that will impact their daily teaching repertoire. Yours is an in-service that impacts how teachers engage students.”
—Patsy Slaughter, Elementary Principal
Virginia Beach

"This day reminded me why I became and love being a teacher."
—Juli Weatherby, Teacher
Chesapeake, VA

“Attending Ron Nash’s workshop changed my whole style of teaching. The tools I gained have rekindled my love for teaching and my students’ love of learning.”
—Amber O’Malley, Second-Grade Teacher
Austin, TX

“As one of my colleagues stated about your professional development offering to us, “Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!”
— Linda Emerick, High School English Teacher
Wilmington, DE

Table of Contents

Introduction
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. Mirror, Mirror
2. Their World and Welcome to It
3. Exercise and Learning
4. Reflection and Discourse
5. Perspective and Empathy
6. Competition and Collaboration
7. Frontloading and Facilitating
8. Feedback and Praise
9. Give Them Their 80
10. Show the Status Quo the Door
Appendix A: Providing Support for Speakers and Listeners
Appendix B: Maximizing the Use of Time in Classrooms
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"We no longer need to manage behavior when we give the students the skills, responsibility, and accountability needed to be productive. Ron Nash fine-tunes brain-based strategies to empower today’s learner across content areas. Transitioning from teacher-centered to engaged students, this book guides you through it all. I use these strategies in K-12 and also recommend them in my early childhood professional development workshops! "

Sherry B. Barnard

Today's teachers thirst for tools that will help them engage students, minimize disruptions, and create classrooms where students flourish as 21st century learners. Ron Nash's newly updated From Seatwork to Feetwork provides those tools and so much more. With practical, research-based advice, Ron explains how to take "typical" (boring) classroom activities and transform them into exciting learning experiences that allow students to move around the classroom, collaborate with others, reflect on their learning, and take the lead on their educational journey! Ron provides insight on setting up an active classroom, establishing efficient routines, teaching communication skills, providing meaningful feedback, and creating a safe classroom culture where mistakes are welcomed as tools for improvement, just to name a few. This book is a "must-read" for all teachers eager for effective strategies that can be used immediately to take their students to new heights!

Kathy Galford

Looking back, I see now that I got the workout and the students got the worksheet.” – Ron Nash

"This quote reminds me of my own first few years of teaching. I tried to be energetic, entertaining, and engaging, but at the end of the day I was exhausted by my reliance on teacher-focused output. Despite overwhelming research on the importance of engaging students in active learning, I just did not see how I could increase student involvement and still cover all the material I was supposed to include. I wish I had had Nash’s newly revised From Seatwork to Feetwork to guide me.

In this teacher-friendly book Ron Nash provides a blueprint for how to flip the traditional 80% teacher/ 20% student input model by implementing strategies designed to engage students in all kinds of vigorous learning activities. He masterfully demonstrates how teachers of all subject areas and grades can shift their roles to more of a guide and to less of a gatekeeper of important information. Through his own teaching history and his countless hours doing teacher observations, Ron has gleaned expert knowledge and concrete examples for making the transition to the student-centered classroom.

Mr. Nash understands learners, particularly today’s learners, and he effectively advises how to embrace their need for a more participatory role in their own learning. I recommend this book to all teachers – those who are new and those who need to be “re-newed.” Buy a copy, buy a new highlighter, and prepare to be inspired to make sure it is the students who are tired at the end of the school day, not the teacher. "

Debbie Silver

"Once again, Ron Nash champions for today’s student by making a strong case for educators to move past the status quo of the traditional classroom. This book provides teachers with practical strategies for building a classroom where there is active learning for all students."

Kathy Mathison

"Nash provides teachers a powerful tool for reflection balanced with practical ideas for meeting students where they are and actively engaging them in learning. The ideas skillfully presented get students out of their seats, onto their feet, and involved in their learning. This is a perfect addition to any modern educator’s toolkit. "

Ashley Ellis

"Every educator encounters an “Ed” in their career. The insights gained from his experience and growth are beneficial in supporting the development and growth of teachers. The one DOING the work is doing the learning. The teachers have learned plenty; now let the students learn more in the Active Classroom. "

Kimberly M. Cousins

"The book shows teachers how to create a student-centered environment that transforms learners from passive attendees into active participants and classroom leaders. It combines the author's classroom experience with the latest brain-based research on movement, memory and learning and is packed with real-world strategies teachers will appreciate. "

The Midwest Book Review, March 2012 - James A. Cox

"Imagine high-performing classrooms filled with active learners eagerly communicating and collaborating along the information highway. From Seatwork to Feetwork delivers a road map to create the 21st century classroom. Filled with powerful and practical strategies, Nash zeros in on the challenges of creating a learning environment that ensures students will arrive at their destination. "

Lou Anne Metzger

"Imagine high-performing classrooms filled with active learners eagerly communicating and collaborating along the information highway. From Seatwork to Feetwork delivers a road map to create the 21st century classroom. Filled with powerful and practical strategies, Nash zeros in on the challenges of creating a learning environment that ensures students will arrive at their destination."

LouAnne Metzger