Professional Development: Engaging Teaching Strategies.

Professional Professional Development: Engaging Development: Engaging

Teaching StrategiesTeaching Strategies

The Implications of The Implications of BoredomBoredom

(Judy Willis)(Judy Willis)California dropout rate is 35.5%, up California dropout rate is 35.5%, up 10% from ten years ago.10% from ten years ago.

Dropout reason #1 is boredom.Dropout reason #1 is boredom.

According to students who dropped According to students who dropped out, 75% said material wasn’t out, 75% said material wasn’t interesting, and 39% said material interesting, and 39% said material wasn’t relevant.wasn’t relevant.

Traditional schooling is not engaging Traditional schooling is not engaging the brain.the brain.

We’re Boring Them We’re Boring Them Sick! Sick!

Trends in education like No Child Left Trends in education like No Child Left Behind have led teachers to eliminate Behind have led teachers to eliminate engaging classroom practices. Student engaging classroom practices. Student disengagement triggers the fight, flight disengagement triggers the fight, flight or freeze responses.or freeze responses.

Students are being Students are being misdiagnosedmisdiagnosed with a host of pathologies such as with a host of pathologies such as oppositional and defiant disorders, oppositional and defiant disorders, ADHD, social anxiety syndrome and ADHD, social anxiety syndrome and OCD.OCD.

Novelty, Curiosity and Novelty, Curiosity and LearningLearning

When teachers use When teachers use noveltynovelty in in the classroom to capture the classroom to capture students’ students’ curiositycuriosity, there is a , there is a greater chance that the greater chance that the information being presented information being presented will make it past the attention will make it past the attention filter and into the part of the filter and into the part of the brain where long-term memory brain where long-term memory is stored.is stored.

Stimulating The Brain And Stimulating The Brain And Building CommunityBuilding Community

Clapping RhythmsClapping RhythmsDrummingDrummingMaking the RainMaking the RainBall TossBall Toss

Creating Novelty Creating Novelty Through The Art of Through The Art of

DramaDramaTaxi CabTaxi Cab

Mock Trials – literature, historyMock Trials – literature, history

Talk Shows—important figure, host, Talk Shows—important figure, host, expert, psychologist, friend, relative expert, psychologist, friend, relative

Improvisation – literary character or Improvisation – literary character or historical figurehistorical figure

TableauTableau

Making Predictions Making Predictions Sustains CuriositySustains Curiosity

Question: Which would Question: Which would make you richer? To make you richer? To have one cent doubled have one cent doubled every day for 30 days or every day for 30 days or $100,000 in one month? $100,000 in one month?

Making Predictions Making Predictions Sustains CuriositySustains Curiosity

Answer: One cent Answer: One cent doubled every day for doubled every day for 30 days is more 30 days is more because it equals because it equals $5,368,709.12 in 30 $5,368,709.12 in 30 days. days.

It’s All About The It’s All About The DopamineDopamine

Dopamine is the chemical in the brain Dopamine is the chemical in the brain that gives you a boost of happiness. that gives you a boost of happiness. Whenever you make an accurate Whenever you make an accurate prediction, your brain receives a shot of prediction, your brain receives a shot of dopamine and craves more. Students dopamine and craves more. Students need to be making predictions need to be making predictions throughout the class period and throughout the class period and receiving instant feedback on their receiving instant feedback on their predictions. Even if a student’s predictions. Even if a student’s prediction is wrong, erasing the wrong prediction is wrong, erasing the wrong answer and writing the right answer answer and writing the right answer increases the chance that the student increases the chance that the student will retain the correct information.will retain the correct information.

The Beauty of BrainPopThe Beauty of BrainPop

Use white boards to have students Use white boards to have students make predictions to answers on make predictions to answers on quizzes.quizzes.

Have students hold up white Have students hold up white boards with answers.boards with answers.

Play Ms. Acosta’s favorite game, Play Ms. Acosta’s favorite game, WHO WANTS TO BE A WHO WANTS TO BE A DOLLIONNAIRE?DOLLIONNAIRE?

Non-Commissioned Non-Commissioned WorkWork

(Daniel Pink)(Daniel Pink)FedEx Day Work StationsFedEx Day Work Stations

TechnologyTechnology

ArtArt

WritingWriting

ReadingReading

Model-making Using LegosModel-making Using Legos

Work ReceiptsWork Receipts

Recommended Math Recommended Math WebsitesWebsites

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ArithmeticFour/

http://hotmath.com/hotmath_help/games/kp/kp_hotmath_sound.swf

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/FractionFour/

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/percent/percent.htmlhttp://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/percent/percent.html

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/crosswords/kenken.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/ref/crosswords/kenken.html

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/MazeGame/http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/MazeGame/

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/numberballs/http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/numberballs/numberballsAS2.htmnumberballsAS2.htm

http://xpmath.com/http://xpmath.com/

More Math WebsitesMore Math Websites

Go to the Stevenson Go to the Stevenson website and visit the web website and visit the web pages of Mr. Chia, Mr. pages of Mr. Chia, Mr. Llamas and Mr. JJ Sandoval Llamas and Mr. JJ Sandoval for hundreds of links to on for hundreds of links to on line math games and line math games and activities.activities.

More Recommended More Recommended WebsitesWebsites

vocabulary.co.ilvocabulary.co.il

arcademicskillbuilders.coarcademicskillbuilders.co

crctlessons.com/math-online-games.htmlcrctlessons.com/math-online-games.html

schooltimegames.comschooltimegames.com

english-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htmenglish-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htm

chompchomp.com/exercises.htmchompchomp.com/exercises.htm