THOUGHTFUL CLASSROOM PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SUITES
A Professional Learning Suite
Engagement Tools
Tools and strategies for igniting curiosity and boosting engagement
Featuring Dr. Harvey Silver, today’s leading expert on instructional tools and strategies
A specially curated suite of engagement-boosting tools and strategies, selected by Dr. Harvey Silver, based on his most recent work on increasing student engagement.
Few things have a greater impact on student success than their level of engagement in the classroom. Research, experience, and common sense all tell us the same thing: When students are engaged, on-task behavior becomes the norm, motivation increases, and learning sticks. It’s no wonder that renowned researcher Robert Marzano (2007) concluded, “keeping students engaged is one of the most important considerations for the classroom teacher” (98).
In his recent article in Educational Leadership, Harvey Silver shows how the acronym SCORE can guide educators’ efforts to heighten engagement by helping them understand and keep “score” of key factors that make a difference. It’s as simple as this: If teachers facilitate student Success, if they spark Curiosity, if they invite Originality, and if they foster interpersonal Relationships, they can boost student Engagement.
This online professional learning suite will help your school team master eight instructional tools that capitalize on these SCORE factors to boost student engagement. Each tool has been personally selected by Harvey Silver and is easy to integrate into everyday practice.
What Tools & Strategies Will I Find In This Suite?
Tools for Promoting Student Success
- Graduated Difficulty: This strategy empowers students to assess their own level of understanding and readiness—and then select the “just right” level of challenge; it also engages students in thinking through what they need to do to achieve at higher levels.
- Effort Tracker: A tool that boosts motivation by helping students recognize that they have the power to improve their academic performance through effort
Tools for Capturing Student Curiosity
- Inquiry Frames: Provides a range of ways to set up inquiry-based learning that will capture students’ attention and encourage students to explore classroom content deeply
- Mystery: Helps you frame content you want to teach as a mystery to be solved and empowers students to examine clues, develop hypotheses, and work to solve the mystery
Tools for Fostering Student Originality
- Divergent Thinking: A questioning tool that invites the kind of original and creative thinking that’s exciting for students, leads to deeper understanding, and builds non-routine problem-solving skills
- Window Notes: Helps students see notes as powerful and personal records of learning
Tools for Building Stronger Relationships
- Getting to Know You: Promotes effective teaching and positive teacher-student relationships by inviting students to share their interests, talents, learning preferences, and goals
- Checking Your Mood at the Door: Prepares teachers to understand and respond to how students are feeling each day by having students assess and describe their mood as they enter the classroom
PLUS:
Practical resources to help teachers and PLCs plan, reflect, and analyze student work.
Click above for an advance organizer of the tools and strategies in this suite.
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Thoughtful Classroom Professional Learning Suites
Tools and Strategies for Active, In-Depth Learning