Engagement by Design: Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive

Every teacher wants engaged students. No student wants to be bored. So why isn’t every classroom teeming with discussion and purposeful activity centered on the day’s learning expectations?  Consistently finding a rhythm—where students progress through relevant and challenging content—isn’t easy. But not only is it possible, it can also seem effortless when teachers have the right design for genuinely engaging students.   Classroom dynamics are inherently complex, as multifaceted as the personalities in the room, so where should a teacher begin? Engagement by Design gives you a framework for making daily improvements and highlights the opportunities that will bring the greatest benefit in the least amount of time. You’ll learn about relationships, clarity, and challenge, including How getting to know each student a little better can fundamentally change the classroom dynamics—and how to do that What it means to be an "intentionally inviting" teacher, and how it gives you an advantage in creating an environment conducive to learning How to bring more clarity to key aspects of your work—and how it can reap substantial rewards for you and your students How opening the culture to student voice—listening to students—is linked to academic motivation, and how to use it to shape your day-to-day planning The best ways to increase learning for your students, boosting the proportional value of their school year Understanding engagement—and actively pursuing it—can make all the difference between forging a real connection with students and having a classroom that’s simply going through the motions. Engagement by Design puts you in control of managing your classroom’s success and increasing student learning, one motivated student at a time.

Table of Contents:
List of Videos Acknowledgments About the Authors Chapter 1. The Inviting Classroom Are Students Engaged? Intentionally Inviting Classrooms Low-Hanging Fruit Student Voice Engagement by Design Conclusion Chapter 2. Relationships Building Relationships With Students The Invitational Aspect of Teacher-Student Relationships The Equitable Aspect of Teacher-Student Relationships How Teachers Communicate Expectations Differentially The Advocacy Aspect of Teacher-Student Relationships Conclusion Chapter 3. Clarity Clarity in Teaching Know What Students Are Supposed to Learn Know How Students Learn Know How to Communicate What Students Will Be Learning Know How to Develop Success Criteria Conclusion Chapter 4. Challenge Inviting the Struggle Fluency Stamina Strategic Thinking Struggle That Builds Expertise Conclusion Chapter 5. Engagement The Engagement Gap Engagement: Overused and Misunderstood Bringing It All Together The Engagement Equation Voice (V) Self-Worth (SW) Purpose (P) Engagement Engaged Students Engaged Classrooms Engaged Student Outcomes The Ending of One Story Is the Beginning of Another Conclusion References Index