Soft Technology

Today I met with a great group of teachers embarking on implementing project based learning together. I shared this sem inal article with them and we discussed their ideas. But AFTER I left their meeting, what I REALLY wanted to say hit me. As you plan your projects, consider at least one element of project design that will get (and keep) kids interested BEYOND the 8 essentials . . . 1. Serve others in need with your project. Example: Students build a grocery store via donations to fuel the local food bank. In the process, they learn about pricing, inventory control, spreadsheets, and supply and demand. High school students create books about science concepts for elementary school students from poverty with no books in their homes. Each child gets a book. 2. Serve other students by teaching them something they need to know. Example: Everyone is reading this novel in English, but my team is responsible for teaching everyone about theme in this work of literature. If we do a bad job...

Tell students what engagement is. Sometimes they don't know what it is or that they're supposed to be engaged. When they know, they can help teachers design engaging work. Engagement means students are . . . attentive persistent and committed Students who find value in their work persist even when it's difficult.

I'm impressed with what I've read so far of Engaging Students: The Next Level of Working on the Work  by Phillip C. Schlechty. Below is a portion that especially stood out. I wish I could Tweet the highlights from my Kindle Cloud Reader, though if I shared everything I like, I would undoubtedly severely violate copyright restrictions. If you are interested in student engagement, check out this book. The warning that follows this passage is to all educators: Take care not to confuse "on-task behaviors" with student engagement. You can tell the difference by asking yourself, if the reward or punishments were removed, would the good behavior continue? If students would still work on the project even if it weren't graded, they are engaged. If not, they may just be "on-task." Learn more about Schlechty's work on Google Books here .