Real Engagement: How do I help my students become motivated, confident, and self-directed learners? (ASCD Arias)

by Allison Zmuda, Robyn R. Jackson

Overview

Students following directions, dutifully completing assignments, and quietly cooperating. For some teachers, this kind of compliance is a goal worth pursuing, but for you, it's not enough. You want real engagement—a classroom filled with students who ask intriguing questions, immerse themselves in assignments, seek feedback on their performance, and take pride in their progress. So even as you race to cover a demanding curriculum and address standards, you're wearing yourself out searching for the hooks that will inspire your students and make them eager to learn.

It's not that you're not doing enough to motivate your students; it's that you're probably focusing on the wrong things.

In this book, Allison Zmuda and Robyn R. Jackson explain the four keys to real engagement: clarity, context, challenge, and culture. Their smart, concrete strategies for improving classroom assignments, assessments, and environments will help you create learning experiences that are rigorous, meaningful, and rewarding for your students and yourself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416620730
Publisher:	Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development
Publication date:	05/21/2015
Series:	ASCD Arias
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	994 KB

About the Author

Allison Zmuda is a full-time education consultant focused on curriculum, assessment, and instruction who works with educators to make learning for students challenging, possible, and worthy of the attempt. A former high school teacher, she is the author of seven books, including The Competent Classroom (2001), Transforming Schools (2004), Breaking Free from Myths of Teaching and Learning (2010), and, most recently, Learning Personalized: The Evolution of a Contemporary Classroom (2015). In addition, Zmuda launched and curates the online community Learning Personalized (http://learningpersonalized.com) to share ideas, innovations, and accomplishments of students, parents, and educators. You can follow her on Twitter at @allison_zmuda or reach her via e-mail at [e-mail]. Robyn R. Jackson, PhD, is a former high school teacher and middle school administrator. She is the founder and president of Mindsteps Inc., a professional development firm for teachers and administrators that provides workshops and materials designed to help any teacher reach every student. Jackson is the author of Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching (2009), the REVERE Award–winning Never Underestimate Your Teachers: Instructional Leadership for Excellence in Every Classroom (2013), You Can Do This: Hope and Help for New Teachers (2014), and The Instructional Leader’s Guide to Strategic Conversations with Teachers (2008), as well as the how-to guides in the Mastering the Principles of Great Teaching series. You can sign up for Jackson’s monthly e-newsletter at www.mindstepsinc.com, follow her on Twitter at @robyn_mindsteps, or reach her via e-mail at [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Real Engagement (Instead of Compliance)

Clarity

Context

Challenge

Culture

Real Engagement: Why It's Worth It

Encore

References

Related Resources

About the Authors