TLAP Book Study: Week 5

Week 5- Pages 145-174

The Awkward Question, Where do I Start?, 

Finding A Crew

The Awkward Question

"Do you want to be safe and good or do you want to take a chance and be great?"- Jimmy Johnson

"Your greatness in the classroom doesn't negatively impact or inhibit anyone else's opportunity to be great. In fact, your greatness only enhances the opportunities and possibilities for others." (Burgess p. 145)

"By being great you are raising the bar...being your best possible self contributes to the school culture necessary to create the environment for greatness to flourish." (Burgess p.146)

"To ascend to the level of greatness, you have to be on fire with passion and enthusiasm.  Mediocrity is incapable of motivating...How could anyone be fired up about creating a lukewarm classroom environment where kids punch the clock, mostly behave and then file out the door...Teaching is a tough job filled with unbelievable hardships, hurdles and headaches.  Our profession has a notoriously high burnout rate,  Unless you find something big to care about, you won't make it...Suddenly it's easy to get out of bed in the morning because you are  motivated by a mighty purpose." (Burgess p. 147) 

"In these exciting times, we must be ready to take on the challenge of redefining greatness for a whole new generation of teachers and students." (Burgess p. 148)

In this chapter Burgess describes teaching using the analogy of the song, "Little Drummer Boy."  In the famous carol, Even though the little boy was too poor to bring a physical gift to honour baby Jesus he brought the gift of his talent.  Burgess then goes on to explain that we have to all find our personal "drum".  I have also heard this described as your "teaching superpower"...what is the personal strength you bring to the table that makes you unique?

Question #1- What is your teaching superpower?

"We have the ability to literally change the world" (Burgess p.149)

Where do I Start?

"Everyone who got to where they are had to begin where they were."- Richard Paul Evans 

In this chapter, Burgess talks about the five most common considerations that hold us back from taking our first step, which he describes as the most difficult part of the journey.  Below are these five reasons summarized with some advice from Burgess to help conquer them:

• Fear of failure: There is no growth without failure.  In order to bring any dream to reality, you have to experience the process of failure (often repeated) and show tenacity to persevere to reach your goal. 

• Believing you have to figure it all out before you begin: "Nobody is going to die if we experiment in the classroom and it doesn't work out...Unless you are constantly  climbing and striving to move forward, you are sliding backwards...You don't have to be able to see the top of the mountain to know that you can only get there by moving forward." (Burgess p. 158) 

• Perfectionism: Burgess explains that perfectionism, which is an impossible goal, can paralyze us. He uses the analogy of a wedding photographer who, if they waited for the perfect shot would never take any pictures.  Instead, the photographer, takes hundreds, even thousands of pictures, and in that process, finds many great ones.  The lesson, "Create freely, liberally and in great quantities." (Burgess p. 152) 

• Lack of Focus: Stephen Covey talks about putting the "big rocks" (priorities) in your jar of life first, then filling the remaining space in the jar with less important things.  "Realize that any time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. Learn to say yes to the significant, and no to the projects and activities that diminish the time and energy you need to fulfill your major purpose." (Burgess p.160) 

• Fear of criticism or ridicule: "You can fear it all you want...it's still coming." (Burgess p. 160) 

Question #2- Which of these is your greatest roadblock and what is one action that you will commit to in order to overcome it?

"The best way to overcome fear is to take action. The more action you take and the quicker you take it, the better." (Burgess p. 167) 

Finding A Crew

"All pirates travel with a crew; you can't sail, navigate, and fight battles all on your own. One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is the personal and professional relationships we develop on our voyage." (Burgess p. 169)

Burgess then goes on to describe the connections he has made and the learning he has experienced though attending conferences with like minded individuals as well as through social media. Over the past two years, these have also been the two most powerful collaborative experiences that have energized my own professional learning. 

"When a group of individual brains are coordinated and function in a spirit or Harmony, the increased energy created through that alliance, becomes available to every individual brain in the group." (Napoleon Hill- Think and Grow Rich)

"I believe that there is no single answer for how to fix our schools but that we should take the best ideas from everything that we can find." (Burgess p. 171)

Question #3 - How will you commit to making connections and finding or expanding your crew? 

Question #4 - How has this book made you a better teacher?

Question #5 - What is your post-TLAP next step?

TLAP Book Study: Week 4

Week 4- Pages 107-141

All the World is a Stage, Stand & Deliver, 
Advanced Tactics, Around the Edges 

All the World is a Stage

“Anything I can do to manipulate and control the environment is fair game . This is a tough business; I’m more than willing to take advantage of and influence everything around me to increase my students’ chances of success.” (Burgess p. 107)

In this chapter we learn about the following hooks:

• The interior design hook (transforming your room through lighting, decorations, furniture, etc.)
• The board message hook (writing a message on the board or projecting an image onto the screen that sparks curiosity, engaging them before the lesson even begins)
• The costume hook (accessorizing to enhance the presentation or teaching in character) 
• The props hook (what physical item can be added to the lesson?)
• The involved audience hook (involving students and making students feel like they are part of the lesson, not just bystanders) 
• The mystery bag hook (incorporating a visibly concealed item related to the lesson to build suspense and encourage questioning) 

Stand & Deliver

“All teachers are full time public speakers. In fact, I would venture to guess many teachers do more public speaking in their classroom than the vast majority of speakers do on the circuit...be intentional about honing your skills of engagement.” (Burgess p.117)

In this chapter, we learn the following six hooks that will help us develop our public speaking skills:

• The storytelling hook (using a captivating, high interest story to draw the students into the lesson) 
• The swimming with the sharks hook (using movement and proximity to break down the barrier between speaker and class) 
• The taboo hook (eliciting curiosity and interest by positioning a topic as if it is a secret or forbidden, even though it is not) 
• The mime hook (using the power of silence to deliver a message) 
• The teaser hook (sparking interest by promoting a lesson ahead of time)
• The backwards hook (presenting material out of sequence to encourage students to construct knowledge) 

Advanced Tactics

This chapter discusses the following three “advanced” hooks:

• The mission impossible hook (creating lesson where students are trying to decode clues to solve a mystery). I have recently been facilitating professional learning in this area, using the game-based learning platform of BreakoutEdu. If you haven't heard of it, take a moment to check them out! 
• The reality TV hook (again, using game based learning to create a ‘Survivor’ or ‘Amazing Race’ style lesson) 
• The techno whiz hook (leveraging the power of technology to empower students to take their learning beyond the school day, bridge gaps between school and the real world and gain global perspective). When creating lessons using technology, I like use the SAMR model as a framework to guide my practice.



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/The_SAMR_Model.jpg 

“When used correctly, technology can enhance the effectiveness of your lesson, increase engagement and even strengthen relationships between the humans that comprise your class”. (Burgess p.128)

Around the Edges

“Students will do amazing things if you can design a class and environment that is positive and empowering. Rising up to and overcoming challenges, building lifetime relationships and foraging positive connections to school won’t directly result in better test scores. It will result in better people. Isn’t that what we’re really trying to accomplish” (Burgess p.138)

The last few hooks presented in this chapter can help put the “finishing touches” on a lesson:

• The contest hook (including a contest or challenge to build motivation) 
• The magic and the amazing hook (teaching an amazing skill that students can go home and share with others) 
• The chef hook (adding food or drinks to enhance a lesson, or just to create a positive atmosphere) 
• The mnemonic hook (pointing out patterns, ties to previous knowledge, or developing other memory retention aids to help students remember key material) 
• The extra-credit challenge hook (incorporating an intriguing way for students to extend their learning) 

“Education shouldn’t be about raising statistics. It should be about raising and fulfilling human potential.” (Burgess p. 141) 

I certainly agree with Burgess’ sentiment that striving for better scores should not be our only goal, but I would also add, that with a goal of helping our students to meet their potential in all areas, the outcome of increased scores inevitably often happens along the way.

Question #1- Which of the hooks discussed in this week’s reading have you successfully used?
Question #2- What is your next step? Which of the hooks discussed in this week’s reading do you want to try?

For anyone dropping by online, I would encourage you to join the conversation and share your thoughts by using the "comments" section of the blog.

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?

For anyone dropping by online, I would encourage you to join the conversation and share your thoughts by using the "comments" section of the blog.

TLAP Book Study: Week 2

Week 2- Ask & Analyze, Transformation and Enthusiasm

Pages 33-71

Ask & Analyze

“Creative ideas don’t come out of the blue, they come from engaging in the creative process. That critical process starts when you ask the right types of questions and then actively seek the answers” (Burgess p. 35)

“If you haven’t failed in the classroom lately, you aren’t pushing the envelope far enough. ‘Safe’ lessons are a recipe for mediocrity at best….there is no such thing as true failure, only feedback...If they (students) are not engaged, they are providing you with some critical feedback.” (Burgess p.48)

Question #1 - Where/ when do you get your best ideas?

Transformation

“Provide an uncommon experience for your students  and they will reward you with uncommon effort and attitude.”  (Burgess p. 55)

Positioning- “Why should our students bother to learn what we are teaching?” (Burgess p.61)  

"Position your content as if it's amazing!... If you can't explain why someone should pay attention to what you're saying, maybe you shouldn't be saying it." (Burgess, 62)

Reframing- "Reframing involves providing a new context for the material that helps to break down the negative associations many students come to class with…The truth is, students probably don’t really hate math” (or insert any subject in place of the word ‘math’) “They hate the way it has been taught to them in the  past,  They hate that  they have struggled to learn math in the past….When students don’t see any real world connection or value to a particular subject, they question whether  it is worth the investment  and effort.” (Burgess p.62)

Question #2- If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching in an empty room?

Question #3- Do you have any lessons you could sell tickets for?

Enthusiasm

"If you apply nothing else from this book, but you consistently ramp up your enthusiasm level in the classroom, you will be far ahead of the game and a dramatically better teacher." (Burgess p.65)  

“Unlike passion, enthusiasm can be faked...Faking enthusiasm is so easy I can sum it up in two words; act enthusiastic!...Fake it till you make it” (Burgess p.69)

“When we model enthusiasm it rubs off on everybody around us; it is absolutely contagious.  Be sure to spread it liberally every day, because I guarantee that your students have many people in their lives who are trying to kill their enthusiasm and dampen their spirits.  Infect your lessons and everything you do with enthusiasm and watch it spread.” (Burgess p.71)

Question #4- What are some strategies you can use to reignite your enthusiasm on a day where you aren’t feeling particularly enthusiastic?

For anyone dropping by online, I would encourage you to join the conversation and share your learning by using the "comments" section of the blog.