TLAP Book Study: Week 3

Week 3- Pages 75-106

Part II: Crafting Engaging Lessons 

The Third Circle, A Crash Course in Presentational Hooks, I Like to Move it Move it, Long Live the Arts, What’s in it for me? 

The Third Circle

“The power of a good lesson cannot be maximized without incorporating a masterful presentation.” (Burgess p. 75)

In this chapter, one of the analogies Burgess uses is about a BBQ. He describes the meat as the content or curriculum, the seasonings and marinade as the presentation strategies that make the meat more palatable, the grill as the energy and heat needed to ignite things and lastly, the side dishes and dessert that add to the experience.

Question #1- Which of the above item(s) do you most often bring to the educational BBQ? Are there any items that may have been missed?

A Crash Course in Presentational Hooks

"Much of your success as an educator has to do with your attitude towards teaching and towards kids. The rest of your success is based on your willingness to relentlessly search for what engages students in the classroom and then having the guts to do it." (Burgess p.84)

"...don't take it too seriously. Be willing to have fun with the process."(Burgess p.85)
I Like to Move it, Move it

In this chapter we learn about; the kinesthetic hook (incorporating movement, gestures, physical games); the people prop hook (creating a human representation of a concept); and the safari hook (changing location in the building, getting outside, discovering items or leaving the school on a trip).

An example that comes to mind when I read about the “safari hook” is a Story Walk, which many of our SCDSB schools have begun to experiment with after some of the staff at Willow Landing presented on their story walk experience at the SCDSB “Mittens in the Snow” conference this winter.

Long Live the Arts

In this chapter we learn about; the Picasso Hook (incorporating art into a lesson, using visual supports, or allowing an art based option for students to show their learning); the Mozart Hook (using music to create mood or aid in delivering the lesson, using lyrics that relate to a topic of study, using music to support transitions, allowing a music based option for students to show their learning or rewriting lyrics to reflect course content); the dance and drama hook (providing an opportunity to do skits, use movement or create videos); and the craft store hook (incorporating “making” into the lesson or providing materials for students to use to show their knowledge when they complete an open-ended task).

What’s in it for me?

"It's human nature to ask (or at least think), What's in it for me? We all want to know how current events might have an impact on our lives." (Burgess, p. 103)

In this chapter we learn about; the student hobby hook (incorporating the hobbies and interests of the students to learn more about them and harness their interest); the real world application hook (incorporating real-life applications which causes the students to interact with the world in an authentic way); the life changing lesson hook (delivering an inspirational message or allowing the students opportunity for personal reflection or growth); the student directed hook (providing differentiated learning opportunities within a unit of study that take into account student choice and voice); and the opportunistic hook (linking pop culture and trends or current events into a lesson).

Question #2- Which of the hooks discussed in this week’s reading have you successfully used?
Question #3- What is your next step? Which of the hooks discussed in this week’s reading do you want to try?

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