James Sturtevant Hacking Engagement

I remember my first teacher evaluation. I was nervous! I tried to put on a great show. I felt I did okay. Then, a few days later, I remember walking toward the principal's office to hear the verdict. I wasn't sure how this meeting would go. I thought my lesson went well, but I couldn't tell how my principal felt because he always played them close to the vest. Thankfully, he said positive things. I was thrilled and relieved.Decades later, I'm still being observed. But now, all my administrators are younger than me. It makes the entire process a lot less intimidating. I still take observation day seriously, but I'm more relaxed about the process. I wished I would have had the courage to try what I tried last week earlier in my career. I approached my principal about attempting to address a weakness during a formal evaluation. Because he's a good principal, he welcomed my idea. My weakness is personalization. It's something I don't do enough and I'm confused about the nuts and bolts. I'm not opposed to personalizing lessons, I think it's the direction in which the world...and certainly education, is headed, but I needed help. And this, dear reader, is where Jen Wilson enters the scene. Jen is an instructional coach in our school. My principal sent me Jen's way. I've worked with her before and she's great. She suggested that I take my lesson and apply the SCAMPER method.  My experiment of addressing a weakness as the focus of an evaluation was a success. My principal heartily endorsed the idea, he provided awesome resources like Jen Wilson, I gained confidence in terms of personalizing, and my students experienced a solid learning opportunity.

I stopped coaching football in the fall of 2000. That’s a long time ago. In the spring of 2018, Eric Myers, who’s the Track and Field Coach at our school, surprised me with an unexpected proposition, Jim…you need to get back into coaching. I need an assistant. Coach with me. We’ll have a blast! I was totally unprepared for this solicitation. I responded, Wow…thanks, but I’m long removed from the coaching mindset. It’s been years since I’ve coached. I’m sorry!I was surprised by Eric’s proposition. That was a problem. I said no instinctively without giving it much thought. I promptly dismissed the idea and went on with my busy day.Our minds, however, function in mysterious ways. Last summer on a gorgeous Ohio day, I needed something to do. My wife had an obligation, so I was free to entertain myself. I decided to go hiking at Mohican State Park near Mansfield, Ohio. For some odd reason, as I strolled over the beautiful trails surrounded by sun-dappled hemlocks, I started thinking about coaching again:Man, it would take a lot of time out of my day.Boy, parents become spastic whenever their offspring are even remotely engaged in competition.I’m not as young as I used to be.But these thoughts were overwhelmed by others:When I was coaching I had a relational advantage in the classroom because I bonded with kids on the playing field.While I’m not as young as I used to be, I’m still very fit and coaching might make me feel even younger.I had a lot of fun coaching and there’s no reason to think that couldn’t be the case again.And finally and most importantly, I have a lot to offer those kids in the role of a coach.On my way home from the hike, I called Coach Myers and told him that if he needed me next year, I was available.Now, fast-forward to February of 2019. Eric informed that he did need me to help coach running events, but he really needed a discus coach. This introduced a fascinating new variable. I was a speed guy in high school. I’d never picked up a discus in my life. Eric assured me that I could teach myself and clarified that practice started on the 4th of March, so I needed to get cracking!This is a perfect example of self-directed learning. Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve researched, watched video, interviewed experienced throwers, and practiced the movements. To the amusement and annoyance of wife and offspring, I’ve thrown a lot of things against my basement wall mimicking throwing the discus. My form has evolved. I’m now excited to teach others. Please…repeat after me, When we teach ourselves, it sticksDeanna Hess teaches dual enrollment English at Dover High School in Dover, Delaware. My story about self-directed learning dovetails perfectly with her story about a prompt she recently gave students. Deanna challenged her kids by placing the learning objective at the end of the prompt! In other words, the learning objective represented Point B in a journey. Point A and how students got to Point B, was totally up to them. If this sounds fun, courageous, powerful, and something you’d like to try in your classroom, then you, dear friend, have downloaded the right podcast. Deanna describes her evolution in thinking about the assignment, the twists and turns of its execution, her interesting observations during the process, and the potential as a future instruction tactic. There’s no doubt that this lesson was a powerful learning experience for Deanna’s students.

It's so gratifying when you had a student with whom you were close, they graduate, and then years later you learn that they've achieved much. Mo Ross is a marvelous example of this phenomenon. In college, Mo was an integral member of Otterbein University's 2002 National Division Three Championship Basketball Team. I was still keeping tabs on Mo in 2002 and I was impressed with this lofty accomplishment.But then, I lost track of him. Certainly not on purpose, but I've taught over ten thousand kids in my career. It's hard to follow them all. I reconnected with Mo this past fall due to a tragedy. I coached Mo in Freshman Football many years ago. His best friend, Randy Russell, was also on my team. Randy passed away this past year and Mo and I talked frequently in the wake of this awful development.I was thrilled to learn that Mo had become an educator. In fact, Mo had became a principal. He's the perfect blend of ability, disposition, and vision. As you listen to this talented young man, you'll spot his leadership skills immediately. Those skills were evident to his teammates and me. He guided our freshman football team as the quarterback. His skills are now evident to his teaching staff. His common sense approach and calm supportive demeanor are major assets.This podcast is in need of more administrative perspectives. I frequently interview teachers and students. An administrator can describe student engagement from the objective perch of the classroom evaluation. This episode will give the listener a behind the curtain peak at exactly what's going through an administrator's mind as he watches you matriculate through your lesson.

Every morning, I spend some solitude on a meditation cushion. This has been an on and off again routine for many years. Over the past 6 months, I've been diligent. The rewards have been palatable:I sleep betterI eat betterI notice thingsI'm calmerI'm much kinder and more tolerantI'm less critical of myselfI've mended fencesI add a minute to my practice each week. I'm working up to 30 minutes. I'm currently at 22. If back in October someone would have told me that I could sit calmly for 22 minutes by mid-January, I would've dismissed them.I certainly don't mean to imply that I bliss-out each morning. Some sessions are a train wreck. My mind resembles a trapeze act. But even on those spastic dawns, I benefit. Perhaps, I need my mind to perform its gymnastics routine in a safe place and then I can move on with my day in a more present fashion.Recently, I was presenting at a local school district's professional development day. After my presentation, I had some free time so I thought I'd duck into some breakout sessions. One, in particular, intrigued me. Monica Lewis is a 4th-grade gifted teacher in Pickerington, Ohio. Her session on Mindfulness in the Classroom was at the top of my dance card. After Monica's fine session, I introduced myself and invited her on my podcast. This episode will mirror her presentation and give me the opportunity to ask questions that many of you may have merely based on the title.

Do you have a class that you probably should get a little extra in the paycheck for coping with on a daily basis? Do you have students who dominate your thoughts...and not in a good way, when you're away from school? Do you catch yourself having imaginary confrontations with certain kids? Do you have a class that causes you great anxiety as they roll through the door each morning? If you do, join the club. I had such a class last semester. I was wondering, Do I still have it? So, I set to work bonding with these challenging kids. This episode will describe my approach. What I love about this episode, is that all my suggestions are totally in the teacher's control. You're not reliant on student compliance in order to implement these strategies. My hope is that over time your calm, consistent, and persistent efforts will be rewarded. Give my ideas a try. I have confidence in your success! 

This past summer, I interviewed Michael Brilla about creating timelines on an amazing platform called Knight Lab. I had my students such create timelines this past September. It was a solid experience for all. The only issue we had with this application was that kids had to fill out a Google Spreadsheet and then submit that sheet to the Knight Lab platform. This one variable caused some frustration with my students. Imagine that!What I love about StoryMaps is there are no spreadsheets involved. Your kids create the entire StoryMap right on the Knight Lab platform. It's totally web-based...which is magical. When kids are done, they hit the share button and they have the link. This is a perfect activity for any lesson that involves events taking place in various locations. I had my students create a StoryMap on the Mongols. To help me tell this story is Max Muhlbaier and Matt Rease. These two articulate young students (primary sources) will describe utilizing this platform.

2 Months ago, I prompted my students to draw. I was hoping to get some masterpieces. In fairness, I did get a few spectacular and inspiring submissions. Most kids, however, were ambivalent. Many commented, "I hate drawing!" Or, "I suck at drawing!" They put forth little or no effort and it showed. The entire episode left me wondering, "How can I do this better next time?" At this dramatic moment, Google Drawings boldly stepped on stage. I was unfamiliar with this tool, so I watched a brief and empowering tutorial. I use Google Docs and Google Slides and I was encouraged by how my experiences with those 2 tools inspired a rapid learning curve. I created a Google Drawing. As I explain in the program, I became obsessed with the process. I linked my drawing on the prompt I created to give my kids ideas. I decided to unleash this tool on my students. It was a marvelous decision. In this program, 2 of my students, Morgan Schull and Lauren Speelman, will talk about their experiences utilizing Google Drawings. I love these 2 articulate young women. So will you.

It's so hard to entice someone to morph into the perspective of another. Unfortunately, it's darned near impossible for adults and not that easy for kids, who hopefully are more open-minded.I teach in a small town just outside Columbus, Ohio. We are just a couple of miles from the diversity of Columbus. However, our town is growing and diversity is coming. It's my mission to help our kids appreciate different viewpoints. I was overjoyed when I found an online tool that helps greatly in the quest. Introducing the Belief-O-Matic. I challenged my kids to REALLY understand Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam via the Belief-O-Matic. The students were confronted with 20 questions that they tried to answer as a member of the faith we explored. Please give this a try! I guarantee the experience will be challenging and enlightening. To help me explain how to utilize this cool tool are 2 amazing primary sources. Sebastian Kirkpatrick and Graham Mackey are wonderful guys who are 11th graders at our school and they are articulate salesmen for this tool.  

I remember 10th-grade Geometry. I was quite a distracted high schooler. And to accentuate this problem...I was a total humanities guy. Math class was more of a social opportunity as opposed to an academic endeavor. Consequently, I was totally lost. I had virtually no idea what was going on. Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids in Math classes today who resemble the 15-year-old me. So at this juncture of our journey, Mark Robinson enters the fray. Mark is a fabulous Math teacher who embarked this fall on a Standards-Based Learning journey. Standards-Based Learning is a powerful wave that's churning on education's horizon. Mark stops into today to talk about what it is, how it works and evaluates its effectiveness. The 15-year-old James Sturtevant would have thrived with a teacher like Mark. 

Recently, my buddy Michael Brilla shared information on how to utilize Google Drawings. He sent me a Padlet by Karly Moura. I was mesmerized by this Padlet. The info and the direction were solid...but I was also captivated by the Padlet itself. I immediately started scheming, How can I utilize a Padlet for my next lesson prompt? It was a short skull-session. My World Civ students were due for their research paper prompt. Writing a research paper, for many students, is a daunting task. I decided to deliver my prompt and ample instructions and encouragement via a Padlet.My efforts were fruitful! To back up this audacious claim, I commandeered two original sources. Ben Momeni and Cecilia Sutton are seniors at our school and students in my World Civ class. I permit them to migrate from study hall to my room during the last period of each day. Since I rescue them every 24 hours, they were happy to help me by appearing as guests. They're wonderful, intelligent, and articulate young people. They'll provide onsite reporting on what it's like to have a prompt dropped on you via Padlet. 

In Episode 68, I demonstrated a zero-tech method of including two classic board games into your instruction. In this episode, Stephanie Howell will take gamification to a whole new level. Stephanie is an Instructional Technology Coordinator at the Pickerington Local School District in suburban Columbus, Ohio. Stephanie and I have interacted for a while and I wanted to interview her last year, but we kept searching for the perfect topic. We found it! She's going to enlighten all of us about gamifying our next lesson. I'm certainly going to try this this fall. Stephanie promotes challenging students to solve a mystery by mimicking the classic board game Clue.But here, dear listener, is the exciting part. Stephanie has done much of the work for us! Navigate to my show notes where you'll find a 17-minute step-by-step instructional video and a Google Doc which will be your roadmap to creating your own gamified lesson.

Jim Mahoney is a fantastic public speaker. My original intention for this episode was to help teachers improve their presentations. Yes...this interview provides such direction, but as my convo with Jim evolved, it became apparent that teacher presentations was just one layer of onion skin. Jim's been in the teaching biz for 47 years. He's been a teacher, coach, principal, central office administrator, superintendent, the Executive Director of Battelle for Kids, and finally...he's returned home to the classroom. Jim now enlightens future teachers as a professor at Ohio University. In this episode Jim delves into hooks, transitions, lesson plans, evaluations, reading, presentation, public speaking, storytelling, student-led learning, and more. This is a man that has seen plenty of change and has embraced plenty of change. What shines through is fierce passion for kids and deep wisdom about how to foster learning. Please visit Jim's website to learn more about him, sign-up for his book notes, or ask him a question. Consider this interview a pep-talk for the 2018-2019 school year!

I loved being a student. Sometimes as a teacher, I'd like to trade places with my students. I enjoy learning. Well in this episode, I get to do just that! Michael Brilla is a fabulous middle school history teacher from Pottstown, Pa. Michael is my teacher and I'm his student. He's going to school me about digital storytelling. I'm reading a fascinating book called "Talk Like TED" by Carmine Gallo. Carmine evaluates the presentation styles of the most popular TED presenters. One common thread is powerful storytelling. Teachers have a responsibility to help kids evolve as storytellers. It's an essential skill. Michael Brilla and I became acquainted on Twitter. He promoted the idea of digital storytelling. I was instantly intrigued. Michael's platform of choice is Knight Lab. Knight Lab is a free platform gifted to the world from a team of brilliant, talented, and creative faculty and students at Northwestern University. Job 1 when I return to school in one month is to master this powerful platform. I was thrilled to listen to Michael because he's already utilized it extensively and successfully. In this episode, Michael highlights his student's creation of Timelines and Story Maps. Please visit these links and marvel at what Michael's kids created. Digital storytelling has great potential!

Socratic Seminars are a big part of my class. The students circle-up and then dissect complex topics. These are highly engaging, collaborative, and provocative sessions. We do them a lot. However, even if you thoroughly enjoy something, like the taste of a Reese Cup (the relevance of which I'll explain in the episode), if you do it too much...the magic is lost. I'm always looking for ways to improve engagement in class discussion. My kids are totally down with Philosophical Chairs, which I consider a highly successful experiment. A few months ago I ventured down a new a path, the Silent Socratic Seminar. Even as I read the last sentence, it seems absurd. How can you have a class discussion if no one says anything? This episode will demonstrate how you can do just that.

I'm exposed to fascinating guest through common interactions on Twitter. Ted Diepenbrock is one such person. We bantered back and forth about what to discuss in this interview. We settled on bonding with students, while at the same time, empowering them by giving them choices in learning. This is a fine topic and we discuss it thoroughly. But one message came through strongest as I edited our convo:To bond with kids you have to be authentic.Ted is authentic. He's a calm and kind presence in his student's lives. His commitment to bonding with students and his commitment to giving kids choice shines through, but I kept thinking as we spoke about the Myers-Briggs Personality Profile. This measurement determines what gives one energy. For those familiar, I am an ENFP. I'm Extroverted, I'm Intuitive, I'm Feeling, and I'm Perceiving. If you're interested in taking an online version of the Myers-Briggs, head to this link.Ted and I are different. I have the personality of a game show host. This might seem conducive to teaching high school students, but that's a generalization. I've had kids in class that just flat didn't care for me. There haven't been many such youngsters, but I can think of a few. My lack of rapport with these kids bothered me. One brave dissenter finally told me that it was my personality they found off-putting. "You're just so hyper", she informed. This didn't make me feel good, but it definitely altered the way I tried to interact with this kid and the way I tried to interact with standoffish kids moving forward. This somewhat painful episode demonstrated that it takes all kinds to teach. While Steady Teddy might score very different on the Myers-Briggs than me, he might of been a better fit for my students who struggle with my over-the-top personality.As you listen to Ted, understand that you are what you are. You don't need to try to be something different.