The Disengaged Teen Book Club

  There are many highlights in my book so far, but I think the one that stands out the most right now is a short paragraph on page 13 that states "disengagement is not pathological",

and speaks to changing environment to unlock a student's motivation and engagement. It made me think of plants: some flourish in certain soils, others need more or less sun, different amounts of water.  The goal is the same: grow and flourish, but a cactus cannot flourish in a muskeg. A classroom is filled with pupils of different background and capacities... it's helping me see the challenges in creating environment that works for all.

This week I'm going to try something new and reply to the same thread to see if that makes it easier to keep up with and contribute to the conversation. Paul, what a great analogy about the conditions for learning and exploring.

As someone who is often trying to convince schools of the importance of engaging families as partners, I appreciated that "students whose parents ask them several times a week what they did in school that day performed 16 points higher in mathematics even after accounting for their socio-economic profile."

The authors also note that "engagement is rarely discussed in parent-teacher conferences or school board meetings". Crowdsourcing some wisdom here: what might it look like if we did discuss, measure, and strive toward engagement?

  There are many highlights in my book so far, but I think the one that stands out the most right now is a short paragraph on page 13 that states "disengagement is not pathological",

and speaks to changing environment to unlock a student's motivation and engagement. It made me think of plants: some flourish in certain soils, others need more or less sun, different amounts of water.  The goal is the same: grow and flourish, but a cactus cannot flourish in a muskeg. A classroom is filled with pupils of different background and capacities... it's helping me see the challenges in creating environment that works for all.

This week I'm going to try something new and reply to the same thread to see if that makes it easier to keep up with and contribute to the conversation. Paul, what a great analogy about the conditions for learning and exploring.

As someone who is often trying to convince schools of the importance of engaging families as partners, I appreciated that "students whose parents ask them several times a week what they did in school that day performed 16 points higher in mathematics even after accounting for their socio-economic profile."

The authors also note that "engagement is rarely discussed in parent-teacher conferences or school board meetings". Crowdsourcing some wisdom here: what might it look like if we did discuss, measure, and strive toward engagement?

  There are many highlights in my book so far, but I think the one that stands out the most right now is a short paragraph on page 13 that states "disengagement is not pathological",

and speaks to changing environment to unlock a student's motivation and engagement. It made me think of plants: some flourish in certain soils, others need more or less sun, different amounts of water.  The goal is the same: grow and flourish, but a cactus cannot flourish in a muskeg. A classroom is filled with pupils of different background and capacities... it's helping me see the challenges in creating environment that works for all.

This week I'm going to try something new and reply to the same thread to see if that makes it easier to keep up with and contribute to the conversation. Paul, what a great analogy about the conditions for learning and exploring.

As someone who is often trying to convince schools of the importance of engaging families as partners, I appreciated that "students whose parents ask them several times a week what they did in school that day performed 16 points higher in mathematics even after accounting for their socio-economic profile."

The authors also note that "engagement is rarely discussed in parent-teacher conferences or school board meetings". Crowdsourcing some wisdom here: what might it look like if we did discuss, measure, and strive toward engagement?

  There are many highlights in my book so far, but I think the one that stands out the most right now is a short paragraph on page 13 that states "disengagement is not pathological",

and speaks to changing environment to unlock a student's motivation and engagement. It made me think of plants: some flourish in certain soils, others need more or less sun, different amounts of water.  The goal is the same: grow and flourish, but a cactus cannot flourish in a muskeg. A classroom is filled with pupils of different background and capacities... it's helping me see the challenges in creating environment that works for all.

One thing that is resonating with me is the power of engagement and curiosity beyond basic content/standards/learning objectives. I've been aware of this for years, but find it challenge to implement it well. I had an AHA moment last year when looking at test score data for our school, which has been comparatively low (but improving) since inception which was only eight years ago. Science had the highest achievement scores by far. In discussions with staff, none of us were surprised by this. We teach science primarily through hands-on explorations where students get a choice in which explorations they attend each quarter. AND we have a very strong Science Olympiad club that competes at the national level. Students choose to participate and work on projects and study after school and on weekends to compete. While the competitive nature of the meets may be a factor in engagement, I see the power of options, that students get to specialize in different events focused on (their choice) engineering or knowledge events (botany, physics, astronomy, etc.). It has helped me appreciate the value of clubs as well as student choice in content.

When I first read this book, I was struck and shocked by the PISA scores in the introduction. The free fall is frightening! What resonated with me was also in the introduction, I have always focused on what can we do to get the students to have more "grit", according to the book, "More than just grit or willpower, engagement is a complex interplay or emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that ignite a deep, genuine interest in the world around us. When children are engaged, they are energized, not exhausted. They become proactive  learners."  I was immediately excited about the book. How do we get our student to become engaged in their learning?

 I had a student once who lived in resister mode, until I came across a "lego app" on the iPads.  I told him that he could make a video with legos, to go along with the stories he wrote.  This did ignite him for awhile, he was excited to write as long as he had time to make videos of his stories.  It was fun to see him grow. He was engaged! 

I imagine we've all had exciting moments when we have seen kids shift into "Explorer Mode". I appreciate how this framework helps make what can feel like a mysterious process more visible, understandable, and actionable. It has also taught me what NOT to do. For example, as a parent, I'm actively trying not to remark on the grades or cross-country race times of my achiever.  

We talked briefly with author Rebecca Winthrop last week in preparation for our book club talk on Wednesday, October 14 at noon (spoiler alert: I think it's going to be really good!) Are there any questions we should be sure to ask her? Here's what we have lined up for Rebecca so far:

• What motivated you to write this book?

• How has this framework shifted things for you as a parent? For schools and systems?

• What seems to resonate with readers and audiences?

Register here to get the Zoom link and calendar invite for Wed., 10/14 at noon: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/qSALEaAOT-2mYMGqdVcukg 

When I first read this book, I was struck and shocked by the PISA scores in the introduction. The free fall is frightening! What resonated with me was also in the introduction, I have always focused on what can we do to get the students to have more "grit", according to the book, "More than just grit or willpower, engagement is a complex interplay or emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that ignite a deep, genuine interest in the world around us. When children are engaged, they are energized, not exhausted. They become proactive  learners."  I was immediately excited about the book. How do we get our student to become engaged in their learning?

 I had a student once who lived in resister mode, until I came across a "lego app" on the iPads.  I told him that he could make a video with legos, to go along with the stories he wrote.  This did ignite him for awhile, he was excited to write as long as he had time to make videos of his stories.  It was fun to see him grow. He was engaged! 

I'd like to hear about actions available to school boards that could help shift towards better engagement.

I imagine we've all had exciting moments when we have seen kids shift into "Explorer Mode". I appreciate how this framework helps make what can feel like a mysterious process more visible, understandable, and actionable. It has also taught me what NOT to do. For example, as a parent, I'm actively trying not to remark on the grades or cross-country race times of my achiever.  

We talked briefly with author Rebecca Winthrop last week in preparation for our book club talk on Wednesday, October 14 at noon (spoiler alert: I think it's going to be really good!) Are there any questions we should be sure to ask her? Here's what we have lined up for Rebecca so far:

• What motivated you to write this book?

• How has this framework shifted things for you as a parent? For schools and systems?

• What seems to resonate with readers and audiences?

Register here to get the Zoom link and calendar invite for Wed., 10/14 at noon: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/qSALEaAOT-2mYMGqdVcukg 

When I first read this book, I was struck and shocked by the PISA scores in the introduction. The free fall is frightening! What resonated with me was also in the introduction, I have always focused on what can we do to get the students to have more "grit", according to the book, "More than just grit or willpower, engagement is a complex interplay or emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that ignite a deep, genuine interest in the world around us. When children are engaged, they are energized, not exhausted. They become proactive  learners."  I was immediately excited about the book. How do we get our student to become engaged in their learning?

 I had a student once who lived in resister mode, until I came across a "lego app" on the iPads.  I told him that he could make a video with legos, to go along with the stories he wrote.  This did ignite him for awhile, he was excited to write as long as he had time to make videos of his stories.  It was fun to see him grow. He was engaged! 

Hi book clubbers - Did you make it all the way through? What has been resonating with you?

I found that I was reminded of some helpful research I had seen before (for example, that helping kids construct an image of a future possible self and identify actions and obstacles to getting there improves both academic outcomes and their sense of purpose).

I also liked the teenage version of the Holland Code: Anything... Instead of doing homework!

I'd like to hear about actions available to school boards that could help shift towards better engagement.

I imagine we've all had exciting moments when we have seen kids shift into "Explorer Mode". I appreciate how this framework helps make what can feel like a mysterious process more visible, understandable, and actionable. It has also taught me what NOT to do. For example, as a parent, I'm actively trying not to remark on the grades or cross-country race times of my achiever.  

We talked briefly with author Rebecca Winthrop last week in preparation for our book club talk on Wednesday, October 14 at noon (spoiler alert: I think it's going to be really good!) Are there any questions we should be sure to ask her? Here's what we have lined up for Rebecca so far:

• What motivated you to write this book?

• How has this framework shifted things for you as a parent? For schools and systems?

• What seems to resonate with readers and audiences?

Register here to get the Zoom link and calendar invite for Wed., 10/14 at noon: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/qSALEaAOT-2mYMGqdVcukg 

When I first read this book, I was struck and shocked by the PISA scores in the introduction. The free fall is frightening! What resonated with me was also in the introduction, I have always focused on what can we do to get the students to have more "grit", according to the book, "More than just grit or willpower, engagement is a complex interplay or emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that ignite a deep, genuine interest in the world around us. When children are engaged, they are energized, not exhausted. They become proactive  learners."  I was immediately excited about the book. How do we get our student to become engaged in their learning?

 I had a student once who lived in resister mode, until I came across a "lego app" on the iPads.  I told him that he could make a video with legos, to go along with the stories he wrote.  This did ignite him for awhile, he was excited to write as long as he had time to make videos of his stories.  It was fun to see him grow. He was engaged!