You’re a Teacher Now! What’s Next? by Solution Tree

—Katie McKnight, Author, Researcher, and Educator; CEO and Founder, Engaging Learners

“Tom Hierck and Alex Kajitani have put together the essential guide for new teachers in their book. Their conversational tone helps to not only explain key points, but build confidence for new teachers. The book focuses on intuitive and common-sense ideas that can build a sense of ‘I can do it’ for novice and experienced teachers. They go beyond strategies and share the mindsets needed to build relationships with and motivate learners. All teachers can gain from the wisdom shared in this book.”

—John F. Eller, Educational Consultant; Coauthor, Thriving as a New Teacher

“Tom Hierck and Alex Kajitani’s book is a lifeline for educators. With practical advice spanning classroom setup to self-care, it’s an indispensable guide for both new and seasoned teachers. You’re a Teacher Now! What’s Next? is not just a book; it’s a mentor, a friend, and a source of inspiration for educators on their journey to excellence.”

—Brian Butler, Educational Consultant; Author, Every Student Deserves a Gifted Education

o matter how yo u arrived at the job of teacher, where you won you probably ha dered, “What ha d a moment ve I gotten myself in Now! What’s Ne to?” In You’re a xt?, authors To Teacher m Hi er ck and Alex Ka referenced FAQ jitani take an ea approach to th sily e se em ingly endless sw educators, both irl of questions brand new and facing ex pe rie of teaching that nced. This book often are taken addresses the aspects fo r gr anted or go un your classroom acknowledged , building relatio : se ns tting up hi ps with students, and routines, m establishing pr anaging behavi oc or ed s, ures pl an taking care of on ning lessons, as sessing learning eself, among ot , and her topics. Readers will: management

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plans Visit go.Solutio nTree.com/tea cherefficacy to the free reprod download ucibles in this bo ok.

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YOU’RE A TEACHER NOW! WHAT’S NEXT?

“I wish I had come across this book thirty-six years ago when I first entered the teaching profession. Like many passionate educators who aspire to change the world, I believed I was fully prepared. However, I soon realized that I lacked the practical knowledge and guidance needed to navigate the complexities of teaching. Hierck and Kajitani’s book is a valuable resource for new and experienced teachers alike. It offers concrete solutions and removes the ambiguities that often accompany teaching.”

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Hierck, Tom, 1960- author. | Kajitani, Alex, author. Title: You’re a teacher now! What’s next? / Tom Hierck, Alex Kajitani. Other titles: You are a teacher now! What is next? Description: Bloomington, IN : Solution Tree Press, [2024] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2023043524 (print) | LCCN 2023043525 (ebook) | ISBN 9781958590553 (paperback) | ISBN 9781958590560 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Teaching--United States. | Effective teaching--Methodology. Classification: LCC LB1025.3 .H537 2024 (print) | LCC LB1025.3 (ebook) | DDC 371.1020973--dc23/eng/20231106 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023043524 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023043525 Solution Tree Jeffrey C. Jones, CEO Edmund M. Ackerman, President Solution Tree Press President and Publisher: Douglas M. Rife Associate Publishers: Todd Brakke and Kendra Slayton Editorial Director: Laurel Hecker Art Director: Rian Anderson Copy Chief: Jessi Finn Senior Production Editor: Tonya Maddox Cupp Proofreader: Mark Hain Text and Cover Designer: Rian Anderson Acquisitions Editor: Hilary Goff Assistant Acquisitions Editor: Elijah Oates Content Development Specialist: Amy Rubenstein Associate Editor: Sarah Ludwig Editorial Assistant: Anne Marie Watkins

Copyright © 2024 by Solution Tree Press Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked “Reproducible.” Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher. 555 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404 800.733.6786 (toll free) / 812.336.7700 FAX: 812.336.7790 email: info@SolutionTree.com SolutionTree.com Visit go.SolutionTree.com/teacherefficacy to download the free reproducibles in this book. Printed in the United States of America

DE DICATION

e who were once new teachers ourselves often look back on those beginning years as a time of great stress and overwhelm. Eventually, we found our way, thanks to the willingness of others to take time they had little of, share experience they had much of, and encourage us to hang in there, often one week, one day, or even one class at a time. This book is dedicated to all those people who supported us as new teachers and who continue to support new teachers every day, in myriad ways . . . .

The colleague in the next room over. The administrator in the office down the hall. The mentor teachers, coaches, and support providers. The loved ones with us on this journey. The students and their parents and guardians who have found themselves on the roster and in the classroom of a new teacher. We thank each and every one of you for supporting new teachers, welcoming them, and understanding that the greatest investment that we can make in our collective future is to provide students with highly effective, happy teachers for many years to come. We dedicate this book to you.

With gratitude, Tom Hierck and Alex Kajitani

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AC KN O WLED GMENTS

lthough only two names appear on the cover, this book would not be possible without the support and input of many colleagues and friends.

Beginning with our Solution Tree family, we would like to thank the following key supporters: Claudia Wheatley, who first had the idea that the two authors would make a good partnership and produce a bestselling book for those educators who are new to their role; Jeff Jones, who built a company that encourages educators to find their voice and share that with colleagues; Douglas Rife, the president and publisher of Solution Tree Press, who provided us with the opportunity and encouragement to develop and write the book; Tonya Cupp, our senior editor, who helped refine the rough manuscript into a book that flows and makes sense for busy teachers; Mark Hain, our proofreader; Rian Anderson, our cover and text designer, who created the colorful and engaging cover that conveys the central message of the book; and Shik Love and Kelly Rockhill, whose skills in marketing and promotion will ensure this book reaches a wide audience and can have the maximum benefit to colleagues. Additional members of the Solution Tree team who worked diligently to support our work and refine the content include Sarah Payne-Mills, director of corporate communications; Amy Rubenstein, content development specialist; and Kendra Slayton, associate publisher. We would also like to acknowledge the following novice teachers who met with the authors to share some insights and concerns that helped to shape the conversational tone of the book. Samar Ahmed Lina Al-Saati Sarah Barbuto Julia Farronato Lauren Gray Asima Iqbal Jasmine Johal

Matthew Lyon Amy McCleary Farida Nurgat Katelyn Scott Tyler Szczucki Emily Swica Lauren Woolley

We are confident they will make valuable contributions to the Halton District School Board in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, where they have begun their teaching careers. Thanks also to our colleague Peter Marshall for coordinating the meeting with the group.

YO U ’ R E A T E A C H E R N O W ! W H AT ’ S N E X T ?

Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers:

Hallie Edgerly Eighth-Grade Science Teacher and Instructional Coach Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Middle School Adel, Iowa Rachel Jorgensen Special Educator Anoka High School Anoka, Minnesota

Louis Lim Principal Bur Oak Secondary School Markham, Ontario, Canada Paula Mathews STEM Instructional Coach Dripping Springs ISD Dripping Springs, Texas Christie Shealy Director of Testing and Accountability Anderson School District One Williamston, South Carolina

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/teacherefficacy to download the free reproducibles in this book.

Courtney Burdick Apprenticeship Mentor Teacher Spradling Elementary— Fort Smith Public Schools Fort Smith, Arkansas

TABLE O F CONTENTS

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

chapter 1 How Do I Set Up My Classroom? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Ensure Everything or Everyone Is Safe, Clean, and Seen . . . . . . 3 Use a Seating Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Think About What to Put On the Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Plan for Where to Place Classroom Materials and Supplies . . . . 11 Final Thoughts: Ideas Are Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

chapter 2 How Can I Build Relationships With Students? . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Pronounce Students’ Names Correctly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Know Students’ DNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Use What You Know to Build Connections and Further Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Say “Hello” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Say “Goodbye” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Know a Bit About Students’ Living Situation . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Tell a Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Show Your Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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Just Ask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Be Real . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Build Students’ Relationship With the Content . . . . . . . . . . 28 Help Students Build Relationships With Each Other . . . . . . . 28 Final Thoughts: The Moments That Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

chapter 3 How Should I Manage My Classroom? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Accept That Imposter Syndrome Is Totally Normal . . . . . . . . 32 Determine Necessary Classroom Procedures and Routines . . . 33 Teach Classroom Procedures and Routines to Students . . . . . 38 Project Confidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Final Thoughts: Everything Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

chapter 4 How Do I Get Students to Behave? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Promote Appropriate Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Discourage Inappropriate Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Final Thoughts: That One Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

chapter 5 How Do I Plan and Deliver Engaging Lessons? . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Understand Where Engagement Starts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Know the Elements of an Engaging Lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Plan for How to Wrap Things Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Final Thoughts: Evolve, Improve, and Stay Flexible . . . . . . . . 67

chapter 6 How Do I Know When Students Have Learned? . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Understand the Purpose of Formative Assessment . . . . . . . . 69 Understand the Purpose of Summative Assessment and Student Mastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Understand the Purpose of Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Remember the Hidden Relationships That Exist in the Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Offer Second Chances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Plan Interventions Driven by Evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Final Thoughts: Mastery and Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

How Do I Work With Parents and Guardians? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Remember That Parent, Guardian, and Family Can Mean Different Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Find Parents’ and Guardians’ Preferred Method of Contact . . . 82 Use the Power of Questioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Invite Parents and Guardians In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Final Thoughts: Working Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

chapter 8 How Do I Take Care of Myself? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Understand Your Self-Care Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Take Time For Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Foster Relationships and Connectedness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Manage Your Secondary Traumatic Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Recognize and Control Your Emotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Final Thoughts: Plan Your Self-Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Epilogue Building a Long-Term Career as an Educator . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Define (or Redefine) What Success Looks Like . . . . . . . . . . 106 Deal With the Money Part of Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Build Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Surround Yourself With Good People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Invest in Yourself and Your Professional Learning . . . . . . . . 107 Be Reflective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 When We Teach, We Live Forever. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

References and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

chapter 7

ABO U T T HE AUTHORS Tom Hierck has been an educator since 1983 in a career that has spanned all grade levels and many roles in public education. His experiences as a teacher, an administrator, a district leader, a department of education project leader, and an executive director have provided a unique context for his education philosophy. Tom is a compelling presenter, infusing his message of hope with strategies culled from the real world. He understands that educators face unprecedented challenges and knows which strategies will best serve learning communities. Tom has presented to schools and districts across North America with a message of celebration for educators seeking to make a difference in the lives of students. His dynamic presentations explore the importance of positive learning environments and the role of assessment in improving student learning. His belief that every student is a success story waiting to be told has led him to work with teachers and administrators to create positive school cultures and build effective relationships that facilitate learning for all students. His most recent works include Trauma-Sensitive Instruction: Creating a Safe and Predictable Classroom Environment and Trauma-Sensitive Leadership: Creating a Safe and Predictable School Environment (both with John Eller). In 2003, Alex Kajitani was a struggling new teacher in one of California’s poorest neighborhoods. His middle school students seemed unmotivated, unengaged, and uninterested in the mathematics he was teaching. Demoralized and desperate, he set out on a journey to turn his class—and his life—around. Today, Alex holds the title of California Teacher of the Year and was a top-four finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is lauded for his innovation and real talk as a teacher and leader and is also known around the world as The Rappin’ Mathematician. Alex’s journey from frustrated new teacher to White House honoree is one he now shares with educators across the country. He tells refreshingly honest stories of what it truly means to connect with students and colleagues and interweaves these stories with xi

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proven strategies that educators can implement the very next day to make an immediate impact.

To book Tom Hierck or Alex Kajitani for professional development, contact pd@ SolutionTree.com.

A highly sought-after speaker and a top authority on engaging students, relationship building, and teacher leadership, Alex is the author of several books, including Owning It: Proven Strategies to Ace and Embrace Teaching, which was named Recommended Reading by the U.S. Department of Education. He is also an expert on teaching online; he is the author of 101 Tips for Teaching Online, and his virtual programs and videos are used around the world. Alex has a popular TED Talk and was featured on CBS Evening News, where Katie Couric exclaimed, “I love that guy!” And you will, too!

INT RO DUCTION

here are a lot of paths to becoming a teacher. Some dream about it from an early age and get as much practice as they can en route to earning a teaching credential and, eventually, that dream job. Others seemingly fall into the job, having worked various other jobs throughout their lives, only to find they’re willing to “give teaching a shot” after a friend, family member, or some experience suggests they try it. Still others take the job, perhaps with some reluctance, when the life they are living takes a turn, and teaching seems a good option given the circumstances. Regardless of how you came to this profession (and ultimately this book), anyone who has ever held the noble title of teacher has had that initial moment where they ask themselves, “What have I got myself into?” Those moments are followed by subsequent, periodic moments of asking oneself the following questions. • “Is this the right profession for me?” • “Am I making a difference?” • “How can I do this better?” The book you are about to read isn’t going to eliminate these questions from your mind; however, it will provide some answers and avenues to explore so you can be highly effective—as a new teacher or in the new educator role you’ve taken on.

As the authors of this book, we bring over sixty-five years of combined educational experience across a variety of roles and contexts, and we have worked and interacted with tens of thousands of educators across the United States and Canada. Our hope is that reading this book feels more like a casual conversation over coffee, where you can imagine being in the room with other like-minded colleagues exploring the issues, frustrations, and successes that are all a part of this wonderful profession. If you’ve arrived at this profession after having worked in another sector, this book shows you how to incorporate the skills you’ve already built and the experience you’ve accumulated into a new set of skills and experiences, all while working with students. If you’ve arrived at this profession with limited training (perhaps you were thrown into it without much training), this book gives you a solid look into the most critical aspects of teaching and will get you thinking, walking, and talking like a well-trained teacher. However, and from wherever you’ve come to this profession and this book, we hope the title inspires and empowers you—because, you’re a teacher now. What’s next? 1

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So, the “what’s next” is reading through this book with a fierce determination to be the type of teacher that you always wish you’d had when you were in school. Or perhaps the type of teacher that you did have and now want to emulate. You can do it, through a series of ideas, strategies, and experience relayed by other teachers, as well as—to be honest—mistake making along the way. It is our hope that this book helps minimize those mistakes. In chapters 1 and 2, we help guide you through how to set up your classroom for success and turn it into a space where students feel safe, which is critical to learning. In addition to helping you set up this space, we provide guidance about how to manage your classroom and students, so you stress less and teach more. Chapters 3 and 4 hit at the heart and soul of teaching, as they give you practical, immediately implementable strategies that you can use to build relationships with your students, especially those who behave in unexpected and challenging ways. Throughout chapters 5 and 6, we share straightforward advice on how to plan lessons that are engaging, meaningful, and fun to teach, as well as how to recognize when students are learning, when they aren’t, and what to do in both situations. Of course, many students come to us with unique needs and challenges, and so we cover how to help all students learn. Finally, chapters 7 and 8, along with the epilogue, give you real strategies and ideas on how to proactively address the parts of being a teacher that many don’t see but are essential to success: how to work with your students’ parents and guardians; how to take care of yourself and stay balanced in a profession that has a seemingly insatiable hunger for all of your time; and how you can build a career that is fulfilling and meaningful. Throughout the book, you’ll find Tips to Thrive that highlight ideas and strategies from real teachers who, like you, are doing the work each day. They’ve tried and retried what they’ve shared (and made plenty of mistakes along the way), and you can benefit from their wisdom. The tips are thoughtfully placed in each chapter so you can walk away with ideas that you can implement immediately in your own classroom. Every educator arrives at this role with a desire to make a true difference. You are not apt to have the desire to chronicle what is, but, instead, to help your students imagine (and sometimes reimagine) what could be. Remember the person you presented yourself as in your job interview? That’s the person you truly believe you are, the person your school most needs, and the person who will make a true difference in your students’ lives! Welcome to teaching.

In classrooms everywhere, teachers are busy teaching. But in each of those classrooms, a multitude of things are happening. While some teachers are commanding the classroom with confidence, others are struggling to simply hold their students’ attention for a short period of time. While some are leading their students through engaging activities and thought-provoking discussions, others are pleading for their students to simply quiet down so that they can give directions. And while some students are walking into classrooms that are welcoming and bright, others are walking into classrooms that might not be as effective or inviting as they could be.

cHAPTER

How Do I Plan and Deliver Engaging Lessons?

e’ve all seen the sitcoms, memes, and video clips of the beyond-boring teacher who drones on and on from the front of the classroom while the students sit bored, motionless, and unengaged. It reminds us of the classic line from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “Anyone . . . ? Anyone . . . ? Bueller . . . ?” (Hughes, 1986). We’ve also all seen the Hollywood movies and television shows where the amazing teacher is defying all odds with their students, and every lesson plan they deliver is an Oscar-worthy performance where every word is perfectly placed and perfectly paced. Think of the late Robin Williams as maverick English teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society (Weir, 1989): “I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself.” While there will probably be moments that feel like both extremes, the reality of what happens in your classroom will be somewhere in between. The tips and strategies in this chapter will help you plan and deliver lessons that get students interested, keep them engaged, and think about what they’ve learned long after they leave your classroom. For example, teaching a lesson on photosynthesis to thirty-five students who all show up with their own perspective, experience, and skill level can be a tough gig—it’s also what makes teaching extremely exciting. It’s also important to acknowledge from the outset that teacher credential and training programs give you an abundance of templates and step-by-step instructions on how to create and deliver a lesson plan, so this chapter doesn’t spend time doing that. Further, when it comes to lesson delivery, sometimes school administrators have a specific structure they want you and the other teachers to use to help keep things consistent across the school. So, instead of a pre-scripted plan, this chapter offers the following important guidance to consider for your lessons. •

Understand where engagement starts.

•

Know the elements of an engaging lesson.

•

Plan for how to wrap things up.

Ultimately, this chapter is devoted to helping you plan and deliver lessons that will get students engaged, keep them learning, and keep them coming back for more. 57

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Understand Where Engagement Starts

According to acclaimed education leader Phil Schlechty: The business of schools is to produce learning that is so compelling that students persist when they experience difficulties and that is so challenging that students have a sense of accomplishment, or satisfaction—indeed of delight, when they successfully accomplish the task assigned. (as cited in Erickson, 2005, page viii)

Let’s be honest: there is no way a student is going to get excited about what you’re teaching if you aren’t excited about it yourself. This doesn’t mean that you have to be Robin Williams playing John Keating in the movie Dead Poets Society. You don’t have to jump around screaming and shouting about how amazing something is, but you do have to bring energy and enthusiasm to what you teach. Students of all ages can feel that energy about a topic, and their energy may match yours. Think about your own experiences as a student: were you enthusiastic about a topic that your teacher didn’t seem interested in? At the same time, were you ever enthusiastic about something that the teacher was passionate about? Keep in mind the importance of confidence that we discussed in the section Project Confidence (page 41 in chapter 3), and even when you’re not feeling completely certain with what you are teaching: speak loudly, speak clearly, stand confidently, move around the classroom, and insist on eye contact (while having in mind that you may have students whose culture at home shuns eye contact). By projecting confidence, you make yourself engaging and automatically set up your lessons to be engaging as well.

Know the Elements of an Engaging Lesson Engaging lessons guide students through several steps, and even some emotions, en route to learning the content. While every lesson might not contain every element discussed in the next part of this chapter, familiarizing yourself and being able to use them helps ensure that students with different learning styles get a chance to grasp the information. Plus, these options make the teaching and learning fun. You won’t use all the elements in a single lesson; sometimes, you’ll use more than others. And know that the

When teachers think of engagement, it’s akin to thinking about art—each person knows what they like, but it’s hard to quantify it. In a broad sense, we all know that student engagement implies that students are so engaged in the learning that they don’t want to disconnect from the pursuit. It speaks to the notion of persevering to the point where mastery is achieved and celebrated—students are giddy about accomplishing the learning target and have to share that accomplishment with others.

How Do I Plan and Deliver Engaging Lessons?

more often you use the elements, the more familiar you’ll become with them, and the better you’ll be at using them.

•

Build on what students already know.

•

Be clear about what students will learn.

•

Use a variety of teaching strategies.

•

Ensure students can make real-world connections.

•

Stop and check for understanding.

Build on What Students Already Know Every student, in every subject, at every age, walks into our classroom already knowing something about the topics you’re planning to teach—they just might not realize it yet! Unlocking what students already know, often referred to as prior knowledge, and using it as a springboard into the new content they will learn is an important strategy to get students engaged. According to teacher Lauren Wenk (2017): Our students come to us each with their own prior knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills and beliefs. When we present them with problems or new information, their prior knowledge and experiences influence their thinking. Each student might understand what we say in slightly different ways—attending to different aspects of the question, interpreting and responding differently to the learning environment, etc.—all of which significantly affects their abilities to solve the problems we present, to reason, and to acquire new knowledge. New learning is constructed on prior knowledge. The more we understand about what students already think, and the more we help them engage their prior understandings, the more likely they are to learn well—and the less likely they are to misinterpret the material in our courses.

The following sections offer three easy and effective ways to unlock students’ prior knowledge and get them buzzing about what’s to come: (1) just ask, (2) picture prediction, and (3) previously on. Just Ask According to the habits of mind researchers Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick (2000), “Careful, intentional and mindful questioning is one of the most powerful tools a skillful teacher possesses” (p. 34). When we ask a student a thoughtful question, it forces them to stop, reflect, and come up with an answer that helps them learn and remember

Several elements compose an engaging lesson, each of which we explain in detail in the following sections.

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Suppose you’re going to begin a unit on World War II. You can start by asking your class some questions that will lead up to that topic. Keeping in mind that some students will already have some knowledge of World War II and others will have very little, you can design your questions so that everyone in the class can engage. For example, you could ask a series of three questions. 1. What do you know about war? (This is a good general question to spark some thinking.) 2. Do you know anyone who has been affected by a war or fought in one? (This question starts to get students thinking about their own lives and experiences and those of people they know.) 3. Have you ever heard of the Holocaust? (With this question, you’re giving a preview of what’s to come while assessing what knowledge students already have about the topic you’re going to cover.) Keep in mind that the purpose of these questions is to connect what students already know to what they are about to learn—don’t let yourself and the class get stuck for too long discussing a question. Remember, the purpose is to spark prior knowledge so you can get on to the lesson. There are a variety of ways that you can ask these questions. You could start with the standard whole group. You could also utilize the think-pair-share strategy, posing a question, giving students a short amount of time to think about their answer on their own (think), then turning to a partner to discuss their thoughts together (pair), then having them share aloud with the rest of the class (share). Or, you could have them answer the question via a writing prompt, which they do on their own. Don’t limit yourself to only these ideas. Look for and try many ways to get students answering your questions. Picture Prediction Picture prediction is super simple and effective. Find a picture of something that represents the topic you will cover and put up a picture of it for students to see. Then, simply ask one (or both) of the following questions. •

What do you think we’re going to be learning about today?

•

What words or phrases do you think we are going to be using?

Make a class list of student responses, have students write them down, or enter them into an app the class uses. It can be fun for the students to look back on what they predicted the lesson was going to be about versus what the lesson was actually on. Picture prediction is a great way to spark interest and also expose students to new vocabulary, as their classmates will be offering words and phrases that they haven’t yet heard.

what they’ve learned. Of course, when teachers connect those questions with the need to activate what students already know in an effort to set up students for the learning they’ll do, asking good questions serves as an important strategy that empowers students to learn and grow.

How Do I Plan and Deliver Engaging Lessons?

Previously On

Even though you may have just discussed something yesterday, remember that since then, students have attended other classes, or you may have covered a multitude of additional topics as part of other lessons. They’ve also gone home and had additional experiences outside of school. It can seem like they don’t remember what was discussed just yesterday, but what they really need is a quick refresher. It can be as simple as saying, “Previously in [insert your name]’s class, we . . . .” Then, take a moment to tell the students some key aspects of what you covered. It also helps to show them any pictures, objects, or reminders that might spark a memory of what they’ve already learned. Of course, after you start with a good “Previously on,” you’ll probably want to consider ending the class with a “Next time on,” because who doesn’t love a good cliff-hanger?

Tips to Thrive Remember that as the teacher, you set the tone for how students are going to feel about their learning. A fun way to do that is to take on the attitude of, “Either way, that’s great!” If a student indicates that they have some background knowledge about a topic, you can say, “That’s great! This is going to be an opportunity for you to build on that knowledge and learn even more.” If a student indicates that they don’t think they have any background knowledge about a topic, you can say: “That’s great! This is going to be an opportunity for you to learn some new things about the world and your life.”

Be Clear About What Students Will Learn Start by asking yourself, “By the time my students leave my class today, what do I want them to be able to do?” Do you want them to add fractions with unlike denominators? Or perhaps you want them to identify the causes of global warming? Maybe it’s starting new sentences with a capital letter? Whatever your objective or learning targets are, be as specific as possible in describing them to students, using age-appropriate language. Being clear about what students will learn will help them do exactly that—learn! Here are three tips to help you identify exactly what you want students to learn. 1. Use your academic standards. 2. Break it down. 3. Post it, say it, remind it.

Have you ever watched a television series, and from the second episode on, it starts with a “previously on” refresher? It immediately sucks you in by reminding you of what you’ve previously seen (there’s that previous knowledge) and prepares you for what’s to come. We can do the same in our classrooms.

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Use Your Academic Standards

Break It Down Sometimes there is a lot of information contained in one standard. Remember, you don’t need to teach everything all at once. Have you ever bought a piece of furniture, then brought it home and realized it needed to be assembled? Hopefully, you used the provided directions that took you through it step by step. Of course, even though you followed the directions carefully, that furniture might still be a bit wobbly—that’s OK, we’ll cover how to deal with that in the assessment chapter. This calls back to our previous reference to learning targets. As an individual teacher or as part of a collaborative team, it’s critical to be able to break down a standard into pieces that make up the desired learning outcomes for a lesson (DuFour et al., 2016). Also called chunking, this is an important way to help students learn one step or one piece at a time. When conveying these learning targets or chunks to students, Rick Stiggins (2004) recommends using a series of I can statements that are grade-level appropriate. For example, “I can write a complete sentence,” or, “I can explain how gravity affects an object.” Post It, Say It, Remind It One of the best things a student can say as they enter your classroom is “What are we doing today?” This question shows they’re interested and engaged, and as such, it deserves a good answer. As the teacher, it’s a fantastic opportunity to enthusiastically say, “Today we’re going to learn about a 16th-century poet who told crazy stories about people in high-drama relationships.” (We really wish just one of our high school English teachers had described Shakespeare that way.) Then, on the board under Objective, you have written “Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone,” which you’ve already posted on your board,

Just about every school has a set of academic standards, a list (usually a pretty long one) of predetermined skills and topics that students should learn in every class, subject, and grade. These might be national standards, state- or province-level standards, or even standards dictated by the school district. While there is sometimes political controversy about which standards should and should not be included, it’s important to know and understand the standards for your school, grade, and class because they tell you exactly what you’ll need to cover. Many schools and districts make pacing guides to help teachers get through all of the standards by the end of the school year. In many schools, collaborative teacher teams work together to determine how to prioritize and teach standards to ensure a guaranteed and viable curriculum (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, & Mattos, 2016). In any case, pacing guides map out what to cover and how long to spend on each standard (some require more time than others). Before you start writing lessons, be sure to get a copy of the state standards for each class you’ll be teaching and ask if a pacing guide has already been made.

How Do I Plan and Deliver Engaging Lessons?

Throughout the lesson (especially at the end), remind students of the day’s objective and point out their progress toward mastering it. Many school administrators will require you to write your daily objective on the board or have it posted. Often, it’s a school policy. Even if they don’t, having your objective visible is a great idea that not only provides clarity for students about what they must learn but also helps keep you focused on what you need to teach!

Tips to Thrive When being interviewed about what she wishes she had known before starting teaching, one teacher summed up the need to be flexible perfectly: Lesson plans can change the hour before class starts, or you only might be able to get through half of a lesson because something unexpected happened in class, or you realize too late that the kids really aren’t ready to move on to the next activity. It’s easy to get frustrated with that, but part of what I find is helpful to be an effective teacher is to just take a deep breath and realize that the days never really go as you carefully planned. (as cited in Gillett, 2016)

Use a Variety of Teaching Strategies Think for a moment about the phrase boring lecture. What makes it so boring? Most likely, you’re envisioning a teacher standing in front of a class (maybe even behind a podium) the entire time, speaking in a monotone voice, and showing presentation slides filled with text while the audience sits motionless. Many educators refer to this as sitand-get instruction, though it’s more accurately thought of as direct instruction. And make no mistake, direct instruction has its place in your teaching playbook, but if that’s all you have to offer students, no matter how charming you are, you won’t keep your students engaged. An important thing to recognize about students is that they don’t all gravitate to one specific form of instruction or another. Often referred to as cognitive processing styles, it recognizes that there are different ways that individuals think, perceive, and

and now point out to the students at the beginning of the lesson. You can also say, “By the time you leave today, you’re going to be able to understand how the specific words authors use change the meaning and tone of what they’re saying” (California Department of Education, 2013), just like all of us sometimes use different tones to get our points across. The more clearly you can describe a standard or learning target in simple, student-friendly language, the more open students will be to learning about it.

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remember information—in short, how someone prefers to process information. In Doable Differentiation: 12 Strategies to Meet the Needs of All Learners, Jane A. G. Kise (2021) refers to four cognitive processing styles according to what students typically gravitate toward. 2. Experience and movement (Let me do something) 3. Vision and interpretation (Let me follow my own lead) 4. Question and connection (Let me lead as I learn) Kise contends that teachers need not cater every lesson to every style (students must also learn to learn in multiple ways), but that it’s important to ensure units cater to each style at some point. Thus, using a variety of teaching strategies means mixing it up when it comes to how you deliver a lesson. For example, mixing it up could include any combination of the following. •

Have students talk to each other about the material (this could be with partners or in small or large groups).

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Have students do some writing about what they’re learning.

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Get students moving around or somehow using their bodies.

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Give students some time to work on their own.

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Organize a learning game to be played in small or large groups.

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Incorporate music or other audio-visual content into a lesson.

Obviously, there are many more strategies, and you don’t need to try to fit them all in during a single lesson. Over the course of your career, you’ll learn a variety of specific strategies that you’ll trust yourself to use effectively with students in specific contexts. But even as you evolve into a crafty veteran teacher, make sure you’re always on the lookout for new strategies and continually mix it up not just for your students, but for you as well!

Ensure Students Can Make Real-World Connections Sometimes it’s easy to get so focused on what we’re teaching that we often forget about why we’re teaching it. Staying conscious about why students need to learn something is a critical component to how well they’ll learn the material and how engaged they’ll be while learning it (Mendler, 2014). Just as sales professionals always connect the products they’re selling with an answer to the customer’s question, “What’s in it for me?” teachers can do the same. The difference is that our product is knowledge. Part of making content real for students is to connect it not just to the world they live in, but the world they know (their world). When a student asks, “What does this have to do with me?” you should be able to answer that question. When a student asks, “When am I ever going to use this?” you should be able to answer that one, too.

1. Structure and certainty (Let me know what to do)

How Do I Plan and Deliver Engaging Lessons?

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What is happening in my students’ lives right now that I can connect to what I’m teaching?

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What are my students interested in that I can connect to what I’m teaching?

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What have we already covered in class, or what are we going to cover, that I can connect to what I’m teaching?

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What skills will my students need to be successful throughout their lives, and how can what I’m teaching help them gain those skills?

You don’t need to spend a lot of time coming up with these real-world connections. Sometimes just a quick mention is enough to get students on board and understand why they need to learn what you’ve got for them.

Stop and Check for Understanding There will be times during a lesson or at the end of a lesson when you look up and see a look of complete confusion on some (or all) of your students’ faces. This is totally normal, and it’s great information for you to respond to. There will also be times when students are grasping the information, making clear connections, and excited for more. Believe it or not, these little checks for understanding are powerful forms of formative assessment, which we cover more specifically in chapter 6 (page 69). For now, just know that stopping at various points along your lesson to check for understanding is a great way to make sure your students are following along and prevents leaving some students lost or otherwise disengaged while you and the rest of the class roar ahead. And of course, there will be moments when a lesson is going badly. Don’t be afraid to hit pause on the lesson and rethink it. It might be helpful to think of teaching a lesson-going-badly like trying to ride a bike with a flat tire. Sure, you might get there eventually, but taking a moment to stop, get off the bike, and pump up the tire will help you get back on track and let you soar past where you would have been if you were still riding with the flat. Consider this, from education author Cynthia Thomas (n.d.): Even if you have planned a lesson and have a clear goal in mind, if your approach is not working—for whatever reason—stop! Regroup and start over with a different approach, or abandon your planned lesson entirely and go on to something else. At the end of the day, be honest with yourself as you examine what went wrong and make plans for the next day.

Here are a few easy ways to check for understanding throughout a lesson without slowing it down too much.

Even better, if you can explain the answer to either of the preceding questions to students before they ask, you’ll greatly improve the students’ interest level (Roberto, 2021). To help you answer your students’ questions about real-world connections before they ask them, here are four questions you can ask yourself.

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Ask a question about what you’ve just been covering: You’ll be able to gauge your students’ level of understanding by some of the responses they give. Confused, shaky responses could indicate that you might need to back up a bit or slow down. Just make sure you ask a variety of students—not just the ones who always seem to know the answers. At the same time, be conscious that you’re not repeatedly asking questions of students you know struggle with the content, which could lead to them feeling picked on.

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Have them stop and write: A great way to check for understanding is to have students take a few minutes (or even less) to write down (or type) something that they’ve learned so far. Just a quick sentence or phrase is enough, and at the end of the day, they’ll have a running record of several things they’ve learned (especially if you do it more than once during a class). You can even give this activity a cool name, such as Pencil Pause or Thought Jot. You can also use these as exit tickets, which we discuss in the next section.

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Feel the vibe: As teachers, sometimes one of the most important things we can do is simply feel the vibe in our classroom. There’s no step-by-step for this; you just need to develop and trust your instincts, and grab an honest feeling about how the lesson is going. If there seems to be a quiet, confused vibe among your students, you can make adjustments by backing up a bit. If the vibe seems chaotic and disorganized, you can slow things down and adjust accordingly. If there’s a vibe that things are going great and everyone is learning—then, full steam ahead!

Plan for How to Wrap Things Up Just as an engaging lesson opens with utilizing students’ background knowledge, it ends with shining a spotlight on what students have learned. When you understand what you’ve learned, you also realize that the time you spent in class was totally worth it. Giving a lesson closure gives everyone a chance to reflect on what they’ve learned, get any remaining questions answered (or at least submitted so you can return to them the next day), and maybe even get excited about what the next class will bring. Sometimes wrapping up a lesson and giving it closure is one of the most difficult parts of teaching a lesson. Why? Because we run out of time. Maybe you didn’t get through everything you wanted to get through; maybe you got a bit sidetracked by announcements over the loudspeaker, or perhaps a disruptive student cost you a chunk of instruction time. All of these will happen at some point, but whenever possible, try to build in some time for students to reflect on what they’ve just learned. Exit tickets and learning journals are a couple of easy ways to bring closure to the lesson.

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How Do I Plan and Deliver Engaging Lessons?

Exit Tickets

Learning Journals Learning journals are an easy way for students to keep a running record of what they have learned. If at the end of each class (or whatever frequency you want to use) they are recording what they’ve learned, by the end of the week, month, or semester they’ll have amassed quite the record of all they’ve done and be amazed at all they’ve learned. Journals can also be done using video—where students do a quick recording talking to the camera about what they’ve learned. Whether it’s in their own handwriting, typing it into an online journal, drawing pictures that represent the learning, recording videos, or any other idea, you can provide students an opportunity to choose what works best for them. You might also offer options to journal individually, or in small or large groups. Again, mix it up!

Tips to Thrive The suggestions in this section don’t need to be limited to focusing on what students just learned. Empower students to use this wrap-up time to ask (or send you) questions they still have, identify where they’re still confused, or anything else you think is important to address.

Final Thoughts: Evolve, Improve, and Stay Flexible As teachers, the lessons we deliver are the visible product that we share with the world. It’s where our planning, relationship building, classroom management, and everything else that we cover in this book come together to help students learn the content they need to know to be successful throughout their lives. Some days your lessons go well, and you leave school feeling like you are on top of the world. There are also days when your lessons do not go well, and you’ll feel defeated and disappointed. Many days, you’ll be somewhere in between, and you’ll leave the classroom feeling like your lessons are just OK. In all three cases, know that you are not alone. Pay attention to what worked, what didn’t, and where you can improve upon the lesson. Over time, you’ll teach those lessons again—and as you continually tweak and improve them, they’ll get better each time.

On a sticky note or a small scrap of paper, have students write something they’ve learned that day or type it into whatever app your class uses. If time permits, you can spend some time having them share what they wrote with each other. On their way out of the classroom, they can stick the notes on the wall or place the scrap of paper in a basket. The next day, you can use these notes to remind the class what they learned yesterday and activate that prior knowledge.

—Katie McKnight, Author, Researcher, and Educator; CEO and Founder, Engaging Learners

—John F. Eller, Educational Consultant; Coauthor, Thriving as a New Teacher

—Brian Butler, Educational Consultant; Author, Every Student Deserves a Gifted Education

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