Chapter 9- Now What?: Meeting the Challenge of Implementation

Wow! We have concluded the book this week. I have really enjoyed this book, it surpassed my expectations and provided me with a large toolkit of engagement strategies. I am positive this is a resource I will keep on my bookshelves and continue to refer to year after year.  Although I may have been silent as the study facilitator, your posts have been a great supplement to the book and I have gained even more from reading your posts. Thank you for your commitment and inspiration these past months. 

For this last post take the next few weeks to reflect on everything you have gained from reading this book. Look back through old posts that you may have missed.

Before September 30^th respond to the topics below:

·         Choose one strategy you plan to implement this year. What will it be, and how are you going to ensure you follow through?

·         What are your new engagement goals for the remainder of the school year?

·         How has this book helped you become a better teacher?

·         A challenge- Share something you have learned with the rest of your staff, either by email, at a staff meeting, or just in the hallways. Pay it forward.

I will send you an email with your PGP totals once the study concludes. I will mail you a copy of your official PGP certificate.

As a side note, I have really enjoyed this online platform doing a book study. I would like to continue to offer these kinds of professional development opportunities to the entire district. What do you think? Would you join me if we did another book study? Send me a private email and if there is enough interest I will propose the idea to Dr. Irwin. This would be a great way to earn PGP's and learn together while studying the same book district-wide.

Thank you again,

Jessica Hollingsworth 

Chapter 8- How to Automate Engagement

"Automating engagement will make your job easier. It will help you make better use of your limited instructional time, ensure students are continually engaged, and reduce stress. The need for automation is simple. But, automation requires a bit more energy up front to get the payoff later on."

These statements taken from the beginning of Chapter 8 stress the importance of automating engagement in your classroom, but as mentioned, easier said than done. The author offered us strategies in this chapter to help us simplify our engagment processes in our classroom. In these final two chapters Jensen is going to help us put it all together.

Choose two of the topics below to respond to:

1. Rituals- Do you have any rituals in your classroom? Why do you do them and what responses do you get from the students?

2. Leadership and Teamwork- What types of things do you do in your class to foster leadership and teamwork? What works and what doesn't?

3- Curriculum- Are there any units from year to year you find your students really getting into? Do you have any ideas for this school year you want to try to spice up old lesson plans?

4- Technology- I think since we are from mostly Bon Air and Boulevard this comes easy for us....but just for fun, name some favorite tools or sites you use and how integrating technology using that tool enhances your lesson plan or engages your students. It can be a teacher tool or student tool.