Hooks, hooks, and more hooks!
Setting the Stage...
I think an important aspect of teaching is room environment. Teachers make strategic choices of where to place desks, bulletin boards, charts, classroom libraries, etc. We are constantly asking ourselves if the location works best for students. I bet most of us are thinking about our classroom themes and how we are going to decorate. I, for one, love this part of the beginning of the school year.
Burgess recommends that we think of our rooms as a blank canvas that can and should change to enhance our lessons. He will often change the entire look of his classroom to support his teaching. Burgess has some nifty suggestions in how to do this. Now, I am not sure if I will be able to let go of my most perfect theme, but I know that I do not want my theme to stay stagnant the entire school year and that the room is another tool to enhance learning.
The Board Message Hook is one that encourages students to wonder and be curious of future learning. I like that these hooks peak student's curiosity and create a positive anticipation for lesson to come. I definitely want to use these hooks more. Burgess also mentioned the use of QR codes- now I know what they are, I just haven't used them. I am going to make it a goal to incorporate QR codes into some of my lessons. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to create lessons using QR codes?
Now, on to the costume hook. Wearing costumes can create greater engagement and bring learning to life. Burgess already told me to "get over it" if I am worried about looking silly. So, this will be my work in progress. Don't get me wrong, I am often my most comfortable in front of my students but I have yet to wear a costume.
Additional hooks that I have used and find to be effective are the Props Hook, The Involved Audience Hook, and The Mystery Bag Hook. I am amazed how Burgess uses everything available to help his students learn. He definitely has put much thought into his hooks and better yet he has used them.
I am finding this to be true in regards to Burgess's book.
Burgess recommends that we think of our rooms as a blank canvas that can and should change to enhance our lessons. He will often change the entire look of his classroom to support his teaching. Burgess has some nifty suggestions in how to do this. Now, I am not sure if I will be able to let go of my most perfect theme, but I know that I do not want my theme to stay stagnant the entire school year and that the room is another tool to enhance learning.
The Board Message Hook is one that encourages students to wonder and be curious of future learning. I like that these hooks peak student's curiosity and create a positive anticipation for lesson to come. I definitely want to use these hooks more. Burgess also mentioned the use of QR codes- now I know what they are, I just haven't used them. I am going to make it a goal to incorporate QR codes into some of my lessons. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to create lessons using QR codes?
Now, on to the costume hook. Wearing costumes can create greater engagement and bring learning to life. Burgess already told me to "get over it" if I am worried about looking silly. So, this will be my work in progress. Don't get me wrong, I am often my most comfortable in front of my students but I have yet to wear a costume.
Additional hooks that I have used and find to be effective are the Props Hook, The Involved Audience Hook, and The Mystery Bag Hook. I am amazed how Burgess uses everything available to help his students learn. He definitely has put much thought into his hooks and better yet he has used them.
Books purporting to help teachers hone their craft are abundant in the educational world, but as every teacher knows, those that actually cause them to modify what they do in the classroom are a rare commodity. Teach Like A Pirate, by Dave Burgess, however, has the potential to do just that. By encouraging all teachers to stretch themselves a little beyond their comfort levels, Mr. Burgess challenges them to create classrooms that are "an amazing...unique place filled with outrageously engaging content and activities," and to reframe lessons so that the content has value and relevance to the students' own lives. While we know our lessons should have this value and relevance, we don't always know how to make the connections. In Teach Like a Pirate Mr. Burgess explains just how to create the enthusiasm we need to do so, and provides so many suggestions for "hooks" to help teachers engage their students that it's difficult not to come away with a number of ideas that seem tailored especially for us. In short, the book provides a map for transforming ourselves and our classrooms into a place where we and all our students want to be. The writer's style and voice are appealing; he details his own journey to becoming able to teach like a pirate and uses inciteful anecdotes from that journey to encourage us to begin our own. Written for teachers of all subjects and at all grade levels, it should be required reading for those who want to experience or renew their joy in teaching.
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