Professional

Learning Guide
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P r o fes s i onal
L earn in g Gui d e
Engagement by Design
Creating Learning Environments
Where Students Thrive
by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Russell J. Quaglia,
Dominique Smith, and Lisa L. Lande

Introduction and Purpose 1

Module 1: The Inviting Classroom 3

Module 2: Relationships 9

Module 3: Clarity 16

Module 4: Challenge 24

Module 5: Engagement 32

Retrieved from the companion website for Engagement by Design: Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive by Douglas Fisher, Nancy
Frey, Russell J. Quaglia, Dominique Smith, and Lisa L. Lande. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, www.corwin.com. Copyright © 2018 by Corwin. All rights
reserved. Reproduction authorized only for the local school site or nonprofit organization that has purchased this book.
Introduction and Purpose

Introduction
This Professional Learning Guide offers a framework for professional development to support
K–12 teachers in creating engaging classrooms for students. While this guide is intended for
school-site professional developers to use with teachers, it may also be used by literacy coaches,
in grade-level or cross-grade-level study groups, in professional learning communities, or by
administrators and district leaders of professional development. Individual teachers who are
seeking to further their professional development may also use this guide to enhance their skills
and knowledge in how to create rich classroom contexts for learning.

Purpose of Engagement by Design:

Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive
In this guide, the goal of Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Russell J. Quaglia, Dominique Smith, and
Lisa L. Lande is to offer educators an understanding of the various facets of engagement and a
framework to use in creating classrooms where students learn through relevant and challenging
­content by exploring:

1. How to create an inviting classroom

2. How to build relationships with students

3. How to use purpose and clarity to enhance student learning

4. How to challenge students in productive struggle

5. How to use the dimensions of engagement to nurture and support student growth

Educators can collaborate with and learn from one another to design and create engaging and
challenging instructional contexts for all students. While much has been written about the con-
tent of teaching, we must also address the spaces in which students learn. By learning how
to create an inviting classroom, how to build relationships with and among students, how to
ensure clarity in teaching, and how to offer effective challenge and productive struggle, and by
studying the facets of engagement, teachers learn the necessary ingredients to ensure students
become eager and successful learners.

1
2 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Module Sessions
Approximate completion times for each module are provided within this guide; however, times
may vary based on the background, individual needs, opportunities for collaboration, and the
interaction of your group. Additionally, modules vary in length. They may be combined in sev-
eral all-day workshops or presented over a series of shorter sessions to suit your needs. All mod-
ules are organized with the following sections:

•• Materials You Will Need

•• Segment Outlines

•• Wrap-Up

•• Supplementary Sessions

Supplementary Sessions are provided as an extension for participants who would like to enhance
their professional development, deepen their knowledge, or enrich a dialogue. Consider keeping
a running list of topics to return to for further study.

Materials for Sessions

In the “Materials You Will Need” sections of the sessions you will find references to the following:

Video clips: We suggest using the existing Frey and Fisher classroom video clips and recom-
mend specific clips for use during each session. You can access these via the QR codes that are
located in this book. They are also housed on the companion website at resources.corwin.com/
engagementbydesign. If you have similar or relevant videos familiar to your group, please feel
free to include them as well if it will support the effectiveness and improvement of your group’s
instructional practice.

PowerPoint slides: These are available at resources.corwin.com/engagementbydesign.

Copies of figures: The figures referenced are located in the Engagement by Design book. You can
also print them out from resources.corwin.com/engagementbydesign.
The Inviting Classroom
Estimated Time: 1.5 hours

The purpose of this module is to understand and examine how to intentionally create an invit-
ing classroom in which students can learn and grow. Educators will learn the ways in which
different types of engagement are defined and the four elements of invitational engagement.
Furthermore, teachers will explore how intentionality influences student engagement by study-
ing four types of teachers. This module lays the foundation for optimal learning through explor-
ing the overlapping of teacher, student, and content.

Materials You Will Need

1. Highlighters

2. PowerPoint Slides 1 through 10

3. Sticky notes

4. Videos
a. Video 1: What Is Engagement?
b. Video 2: The Intentionally Inviting Classroom
c. Video 3: The Intentionally Inviting Teacher

Purpose of This Session

a. Project PowerPoint Slide 2. Share the objectives for the session.

3
4 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Defining Engagement
b. Have participants read page 2 to the end of the section on page 3 and turn and talk about
what they notice about the classroom in the vignette.

c. Watch Video 1: What Is Engagement? Suggest that participants jot down the dimen-
sions of engagement they hear in the video.

d. Project PowerPoint Slide 3 and have participants read from the bottom of page 3 to the
middle of page 6.

e. Have participants read the section titled “Intentionally Inviting Classrooms,” stopping
before the final paragraph. Project PowerPoint Slide 4. Encourage participants to dis-
cuss their ideas from the section and on the slides.
 Module 1: The Inviting Classroom 5

f. Project PowerPoint Slide 5. Invite participants to turn and talk about the word
intentional and its synonyms.

g. As participants prepare to watch Video 2: The Intentionally Inviting Classroom,

invite them to consider examples that link to the synonyms.

h. Project PowerPoint Slide 6. Invite teachers to read from the last paragraph on page 7
through the last bullet point on page 9.
6 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

i. Project PowerPoint Slide 7 to scaffold discussion of the four types of teachers.

j. Watch Video 3: The Intentionally Inviting Teacher. After watching the video, have
participants use PowerPoint Slide 7 and the information presented in the video to
discuss how to create inviting places for students to learn.

k. Project PowerPoint Slide 8 and invite teachers to discuss how helping students utilize
their voices in these three ways will enhance the classroom culture.

Model of Engagement by Design

l. Project PowerPoint Slide 9 and ask teachers to turn and talk about the potential in the
overlap of the three circles in the “Model of Engagement by Design.”
 Module 1: The Inviting Classroom 7

m. Discuss the importance in the overlap in the areas of “Teacher and Student,” “Teacher and
Content,” and “Student and Content.”

Wrap-Up (approximately 5 minutes)

n. Sum up the session with PowerPoint Slide 10. Invite participants to jot down one goal
they are committing to that will increase engagement in their own classrooms and/or
schools.

o. Inform participants that the next session will focus on relationships and ways to build
those relationships.
8 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Supplementary Sessions
a. Study John Hattie’s research to find practices that have high effect sizes for student learn-
ing. See Visible Learning for Literacy and Visible Learning.

b. Meet and create a survey for students that would offer insights about how to increase
engagement.

c. Focus more deeply on any of the elements of invitational education and identify practices
that would foster trust, respect, optimism, and/or intentionality.

References
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2016). Visible learning for literacy, grades K–12: Implementing the practices that
work best to accelerate student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York, NY:
Routledge.
Relationships
Estimated Time: 2 hours

The purpose of this module is to understand and examine how to intentionally build relation-
ships with students. Educators will learn four general conditions required in relationship building
and their importance in the classroom and school: respect, honesty, trust, and communication.
Participants will learn how expectations for learning impact student performance. Further, each
of the three components of teacher–student relationships, including the invitational aspect, the
equitable aspect, and the advocacy aspect, will be explored to help participants build healthy,
productive relationships with students.

Materials You Will Need

1. Highlighters

2. PowerPoint Slides 1 through 11

3. Sticky notes

4. Videos
a. Video 4: The Importance of Relationships
b. Video 5: The Importance of Wait Time
c. Video 6: The Importance of Praise
d. Video 7: Integrating Students’ Personal Interests

5. Directions for jigsaw (optional)

6. One copy of PowerPoint Slides 7, 8, and 9 so each group will have a copy of their
talking points for each of the three components of teacher–student relationships

9
10 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Purpose of This Session

a. Project PowerPoint Slide 2. Share the objectives for the session.

Introduction
b. Project PowerPoint Slide 3. Invite participants to read the vignette on pages 20 to 23.
After reading, invite participants to turn and talk about what they noticed that made a
difference for Hector. Consider Hector’s quote.

c. Project PowerPoint Slide 4. Discuss the four characteristics found in Figure 2.1.
Watch Video 4: The Importance of Relationships. Invite participants to discuss the
difference in the role of being a friend and that of being mentor, guide, advocate, and
leader.
 Module 2: Relationships 11

d. Project PowerPoint Slide 5. Consider the quote: “More than a quarter (27%) of stu-
dents don’t think their teachers expect them to be successful.” Invite participants to think
about how that might affect student motivation, engagement, and achievement.

e. Project PowerPoint Slide 6.

12 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

f. Introduce the three components of teacher–student relationships. Explain that the group
will use a jigsaw to read and discuss the three components. Ask participants to number
off by 3. Explain you will check with the group after about 10 minutes. As groups finish,
explain all the 1s, 2s, and 3s will gather for discussion. Each group will select a spokesper-
son and notetaker for the group.

g. Before participants begin to read, project PowerPoint Slides 7, 8, and 9. Explain that
the talking points for each of the three components are simply a scaffold and intended to
guide reading and discussion.
 Module 2: Relationships 13

The Invitational Aspect of Teacher–Student Relationships

h. After participants read and discuss in small groups, invite the spokesperson for Group 1
to present. Project PowerPoint Slide 7 as the spokesperson for Group 1 reports.

The Equitable Aspect of Teacher–Student Relationships

i. Watch Video 5: The Importance of Wait Time. Invite participants to think about
how “wait time” increases equity in the classroom as Group 2 presents.

j. Invite the spokesperson for Group 2 to present. Project PowerPoint Slide 8 as the
spokesperson for Group 2 reports.

k. Either during or following the Group 2 report, project PowerPoint Slide 10 of the
“TESA Interaction Model.”
14 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

l. After Group 2 presents, watch Video 6: The Importance of Praise. Invite participants
to briefly discuss what kinds of praise enhance engagement and thus learning. Optional:
Make a copy of Figure 2.4: Ways to Say “Good Job” on page 38 for participants to
consider.

The Advocacy Aspect of Teacher–Student Relationships

m. Invite the spokesperson for Group 3 to present. Project PowerPoint Slide 9 as the
spokesperson for Group 2 reports.

n. Watch Video 7: Integrating Students’ Personal Interests. Introduce the video

by asking participants to notice how personal interests enhance teacher–student
relationships.

Wrap-Up
o. Project PowerPoint Slide 11 to wrap up the session.
 Module 2: Relationships 15

p. Inform participants that the next session will focus on the importance of clarity in teach-
ing. Ask participants to bring a learning standard from their grade level to the next session.

Supplementary Sessions
a. Focus a session on the “TESA Interaction Model.” Look closely at each strand and the
dimensions within each. Have copies of Figures 2.2 and 2.3 to support discussion.

b. Consider having participants administer an interest survey to students and return to dis-
cuss what they learned about students and how the students reacted to the survey.

c. Have participants read “The Perils and Promises of Praise” by Carol Dweck and engage in
a more in-depth discussion about praise.

d. To reinforce how important our names are, consider asking teachers to learn more about
students’ names. Invite them to bring the information to the session. Make copies of “My
Name” from House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros for participants to read. Have them
share what insights they have about their students as a result of learning more about their
names.

References
Cisneros, S. (1991). House on Mango Street. New York, NY: Vintage Books.
Dweck, C. S. (2007). The perils and promises of praise. Educational Leadership, 65(2), 34–39.
 Clarity
Estimated Time: 2 to 3 hours

The purpose of this module is to understand and examine how purpose and clarity support stu-
dent learning and increase engagement. Participants will learn the practices that ensure learners
know what they are learning and how to measure their own progress. Further, participants will
learn how a deep understanding of the standards and the organization of content result in stu-
dent learning. The session will also focus on how students learn, how to communicate expecta-
tions to students, and how to provide formative feedback that enables students to know what
success looks like.

Note: This module could be broken into several shorter sessions.

Materials You Will Need

1. Highlighters

2. PowerPoint Slides 1 through 16

3. Copies of Figure 3.1: Analyzing Standards

4. Sticky notes

5. A reminder to participants about bringing a learning standard

6. Videos
a. Video 8: Establishing Purpose
b. Video 9: The Importance of Success Criteria
c. Video 10: Feedback

16
 Module 3: Clarity 17

Purpose of This Session

a. Project PowerPoint Slide 2. Share the objectives for the session.

As the session begins, check with participants to be sure they have a learning standard. If
not, they can work in pairs later in the session.

Introduction
b. Project PowerPoint Slide 3. Teachers need a deep understanding of how students learn.
A teacher needs content knowledge, but content alone is not enough without pedagogical
knowledge—the science of teaching.

Importance of Teacher Clarity

c. Project PowerPoint Slide 4. Introduce the idea of teacher clarity. Mention two key find-
ings: Only 57% of high school students responded positively to the statement “School
inspires me to learn.” Only 38% agreed that “My classes help me understand what is
happening in my everyday life.” When clarity exists (which has a large 0.75 effect size
according to Hattie), student learning increases.
18 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Know What Students Are Supposed to Learn

d. Project PowerPoint Slide 5. Expectations play a powerful role in student learning.
Suggest that participants think back to what they learned in “The Inviting Classroom”
and how trust, respect, optimism, and intentionality increase student engagement and
foster learning.

e. Project PowerPoint Slide 6. Discuss how standards documents serve as guides to ensure
expectations are appropriate and progress from grade to grade. Explain how analyzing
standards is facilitated by identifying the verbs and the nouns.
 Module 3: Clarity 19

f. Project PowerPoint Slide 7. Invite participants to work in pairs to analyze the standard
on PowerPoint Slide 7. After they finish, engage participants in a discussion of how
that one standard will require multiple lessons to master and consideration of key vocab-
ulary. Note that teacher clarity in planning and delivering the instruction is critical in
ensuring students are able to link their learning experiences and their lives.

g. Project PowerPoint Slide 8. Explain how the template supports careful consideration
of all the aspects of teaching the standard. Ask participants to take out their own learning
standard. Working independently or in pairs, participants use the template to analyze the
standard and consider instructional ideas and ways they might assess.

Note: If time is limited, this activity may be omitted and substituted with a quick look at
the template and suggestions for using it.

h. Project PowerPoint Slide 9. Discuss the purposes for pre-assessing what students know.
Invite teachers to turn and talk about some of the ways they determine what students
already know. Use the examples on the slide to get the discussion started.
20 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

i. Project PowerPoint Slide 10. Have participants read page 66 and discuss how these
three purposes increase the potential for learning over time.

Know How Students Learn

j. Project PowerPoint Slide 11. Invite participants to think back to the two previous
sessions and the ways in which teachers create learning contexts and foster relationships
that result in engagement and student learning. These conditions create “teacher credibil-
ity.” Discuss the four dimensions. Have students turn and talk about teachers they recall
who fostered this kind of credibility.
 Module 3: Clarity 21

k. Project PowerPoint Slide 12. Introduce the three important ideas that enhance teacher
credibility: noticing (seeing through learners’ eyes), understanding of prior knowledge,
and the role errors play in learning and teachers’ willingness to seek and celebrate them
as ways to learn.

l. Invite participants to number off by 3s. Have 1s read “Teacher Noticing” on pages 69 and
70, 2s read “Prior Knowledge” on pages 71 through 73, and 3s read “Errors in Learning”
on pages 73 and 74. Have each group briefly discuss and then share with the whole group.

Know How to Communicate What Students Will Be Learning

m. Watch Video 8: Establishing Purpose. While watching the video, suggest that partic-
ipants write down one or two things they notice about establishing purpose on a sticky
note. After watching, invite participants to turn and talk about how purpose increases
learning.

n. Project PowerPoint Slide 13. Discuss how one of the important ways we communicate
with learners is through feedback.
22 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Watch Video 10: Feedback. After watching, discuss the aspects of timeliness, action-
able, understandable, and goal-referenced in giving feedback to learners.

The Teacher and Students Know What Success Looks Like

o. Ask participants to recall a time when they were unsure of what was expected in an
assignment. They will probably mention:

“I am not sure what my teacher wants.”

“I wonder how long it has to be.”

“I can’t figure out what I should include.”

Project PowerPoint Slide 14. Success criteria provide learners with the assurance they
know exactly what is expected to be successful.

p. Watch Video 9: The Importance of Success Criteria. After watching, invite partic-
ipants to turn and talk about the various ways in which teachers communicated success
criteria to students.

q. Project PowerPoint Slide 15. Discuss the types of feedback and how each serves a
different purpose. Ask participants to think of ways they have used the various types of
feedback and the ways in which they supported students’ learning.
 Module 3: Clarity 23

Wrap-Up
r. Project PowerPoint Slide 16 to close with a quick review of the four elements of teacher
clarity.

s. Inform participants that the next session will focus on challenge.

Supplementary Sessions
a. Focus a session on analyzing standards. Have participants bring in standards and use
Figure 3.1.

b. Spend a session exploring best ways to sequence a unit of study. This session might follow
the one on analyzing standards.

c. Consider a whole session on rubrics, checklists, and formative assessments. Clarify the
difference between holistic and analytical rubrics. Have copies of Figures 3.3 and 3.4.
Other formative assessments to include are exit slips, entry slips, summaries, lingering
questions, constructed responses, retellings, sorts, and end-of-lesson reflections. You
may want to use the NCTE position statement as a resource http://www.ncte.org/library/
NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/formative-assessment_single.pdf and/or a short book
review by Fisher and Frey.

d. Focus a session on using class surveys. Have participants use Figure 3.2 as a model to
create ones appropriate for their grade levels and content areas.

e. Gather student samples and compare to the established success criteria you’ve created.
Create a continuum from the samples, moving from “need improvement” to “proficient.”
 Challenge
Estimated Time: 1.5 hours

The purpose of this module is for participants to learn how to create challenging classroom
opportunities for students that invite productive struggle. Participants will learn how to inten-
tionally support students’ participation in difficult and challenging tasks that help them under-
stand their own capacity for growth. Further, participants will explore four facets of challenge
along with specific practices to promote and create engagement and ensure student success. The
four areas that contribute to growing expertise in students are fluency, stamina, strategic think-
ing, and struggle that builds expertise.

Materials You Will Need

1. Highlighters

2. PowerPoint Slides 1 through 16

3. Sticky notes

4. Videos
a. Video 11: Challenge
b. Video 12: Peer Critiques

5. Optional: Full-page copies of Figure 4.1: Difficulty and Complexity for each partic-
ipant for notetaking

6. Copies of Figure 4.3: Techniques to Teach Peer Responding

Purpose of This Session

a. Project PowerPoint Slide 2. Share the objectives for the session.

24
 Module 4: Challenge 25

Introduction
b. Introduce the concept of productive struggle and the theoretical support. Explain
Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), explaining that the ZPD is the area
between what learners can already do and what they can do with the support of a more
capable other. Project PowerPoint Slide 3.

Explain that if teachers plan tasks that learners can already complete independently, there
is no opportunity for new learning. Likewise, planning tasks that are too difficult are also
unproductive. Planning tasks that are in the ZPD ensure that learners engage in produc-
tive struggle and failure. When students do so, they learn through missteps and mistakes.
Watch Video 11: Challenge. Have participants discuss what they noticed about how
the teacher framed the learning and benefits for students. How did challenge and produc-
tive struggle play a role in the students’ learning?

c. Project PowerPoint Slide 4. Explain that students should be challenged and even
struggle in order to grow academically. However, it is important to balance difficulty and
complexity.
26 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

When difficulty and complexity are placed on different axes as shown, four quadrants are
created.

d. Project PowerPoint Slide 5.

The goal is fluency, or habit building, which results in automaticity. When learners build
habits over time, it results in using those actions effortlessly. When that occurs, students
transfer learning to new situations and contexts. They are able to take what they know and
apply it in new ways. This is the long-term goal of education.

Project PowerPoint Slide 6. Three tools and practices can help build fluency: spaced
practice, repeated reading, and mnemonics.
 Module 4: Challenge 27

e. Project PowerPoint Slide 7. Many students grow discouraged and give up when school-
work becomes more challenging. Teachers can help students develop stamina and perse-
verance in the face of adversity.

Explain that there are some stamina-building tools and practices. One of these is wide
independent reading. Project PowerPoint Slide 8.
28 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

f. Project PowerPoint Slide 9. Another stamina-building tool is research. While the

embedded tasks may not be especially complex, students learn how to sustain their focus
over longer periods of time and complete a project.

g. Project PowerPoint Slide 10. Introduce the concept of strategic thinking and how
strategies to resolve problems, metacognition (an awareness of one’s own thinking), and
self-regulation (ability to monitor progress toward goals) benefit stamina building in
students.

Invite participants to number off by 3s. Tell the participants each group will be responsi-
ble for summarizing the key points in the assigned section. Have one group read each of
the sections:
Resolving Problems: pages 113–114
Metacognition: pages 115–116
Self-Regulation: pages 116–118
 Module 4: Challenge 29

After completing the reading, invite each group to discuss the section, first as a group.
Each group then offers a summary of the key points in their section.

h. Project PowerPoint Slide 11. Introduce struggle with these quotes from Malcolm
Gladwell’s book Outliers. Invite participants to turn and talk to share their thoughts about
the quotes.

Project PowerPoint Slide 12. Link the Gladwell quotes to the concept that when teach-
ers intentionally create tasks that offer students opportunities to build expertise and crit-
ical thinking, struggle is a natural and desirable part of learning.

Introduce peer critiques. Watch Video 12: Peer Critiques.

Project PowerPoint Slide 13 and provide a copy of Figure 4.3. Have participants
discuss the techniques in pairs. Invite whole-group responses with the question: What
are some ways you might incorporate one or more of these techniques in your own class-
room? Remind participants that teachers have to teach how to use peer techniques and
also provide clear criteria students would find helpful and encouraging.
30 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Project PowerPoint Slide 14. Explain that close reading is another way in which stu-
dents engage in tasks that promote productive struggle. Close reading is successful when
reading is authentic and includes text that is short enough for students to have ample
time to read in a class period—either a self-contained text or an excerpt from a longer one.
Students annotate the text to deeper reading.
An option would be to have participants also read the section on close reading and briefly
discuss the phases and examples included on pages 121 to 125.

Project PowerPoint Slide 15. Project- or problem-based learning engages students in

collaborative ways to study and solve problems, and to gain knowledge and expertise.
 Module 4: Challenge 31

Wrap-Up
i. Close by projecting PowerPoint Slide 16. Have participants think about the contribu-
tion of each of the quadrants in developing student engagement through difficulty and
complexity.

j. Inform participants that the next session will focus on engagement and how putting all
the factors of engagement together offer students an optimal learning experience.

Supplementary Sessions
a. Invite participants to read Outliers and come back together for a discussion.

b. Spend a session focusing on close reading. Include hands-on experience so that participants
have the experience of reading an authentic text, answering text-dependent questions using
the “Phases of Text-Dependent Questions,” Figure 4.4, and annotating a text.

c. Watch “The Power of Yet” (https://youtu.be/J-swZaKN2Ic). Discuss how “not yet” pro-
motes productive struggle and enhances stamina.
 Engagement
Estimated Time: 1.5 hours

The purpose of this module is for participants to consider how the engagement gap impacts
learning and how to ensure every student has a learning experience that has high levels of
engagement by design. They will learn three kinds of engagement: behavioral, cognitive, and
emotional. Further, participants will learn how to create an engaging classroom context by
applying the balanced model for optimal learning. Using the “engagement equation” promises
the potential—when applied—that all students will thrive in contexts that are relevant and offer
them authentic opportunities to make connections and applications from the classroom to life
outside school.

Materials You Will Need

1. Highlighters

2. PowerPoint Slides 1 through 19

3. Sticky notes

4. Consider making full-page copies of Figure 5.3: Balanced Model for Optimal
Learning for participants to take notes on

5. Copies of “Jeremy’s Story”

6. Chart paper

7. Videos
a. Video 13: Fostering Self-Worth
b. Video 14: Student Self-Reflection on Engagement
c. Video 15: What Does Engagement Look Like and Feel Like?

32
 Module 5: Engagement 33

Purpose of This Session

a. Project PowerPoint Slide 2. Share the objectives for the session.

Introduction
b. Project PowerPoint Slide 3. Have participants read the quote and think about what
they’ve studied in the previous sessions before turning and talking about the quote.

Invite participants to read and discuss “Jeremy’s Story” up to the section “The Rest of the
Story.”

c. Project PowerPoint Slide 4. Discuss the three dimensions of engagement. Invite

participants to think of specific ways they have noticed these behaviors in their own
classrooms.
34 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Project PowerPoint Slide 5. Ask participants to consider what happens when schools
focus on only behavioral engagement. What’s missing?

Project PowerPoint Slide 6. Ask participants to consider what happens when schools
focus on only cognitive engagement. What’s missing?
 Module 5: Engagement 35

Project PowerPoint Slide 7. Ask participants to consider what happens when schools
focus on only emotional engagement. What’s missing?

d. Project PowerPoint Slide 8. Invite participants to notice the original model with
Student, Teacher, and Content presented in the first session. Notice the addition of
Teacher Clarity, Challenge, and Relationships, making four intersections that lead to the
heart of the model: Engagement.

e. Project PowerPoint Slide 9. Have participants look at the equation and the “key” to iden-
tify each of the factors represented in it. Give participants a few moments to turn and talk.
Then invite them to read pages 138 to 140 and follow the reading with a brief discussion.
36 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

f. Project PowerPoint Slide 10. Since student voice is the most critical component,
explain that we will take a closer look at voice.

Project PowerPoint Slide 11. Invite participants to consider the chart and what hap-
pens to engagement when students have limited voice versus when they have voice.

g. Project PowerPoint Slide 12. Explain that self-worth is cultivated when students are
recognized for their growth and accomplishments—not just academic accomplishments
but other qualities such as effort, perseverance, and citizenship.
 Module 5: Engagement 37

h. Watch Video 13: Fostering Self-Worth. Have participants discuss what they noticed.
After watching, invite participants to think of one example of how teachers can foster
self-worth.

Project PowerPoint Slide 13. Discuss what happens to motivation when students have
self-worth.

i. Project PowerPoint Slide 14. Explain that purpose has a significant impact on student
motivation to learn and their willingness to engage in a task.
38 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

Project PowerPoint Slide 15. Invite participants to turn and talk, comparing the two
types of students: lacking purpose and with purpose.

j. Explain to participants that now that we’ve considered all the components of the equa-
tion, the result is engagement. Trust and respect underpin the kind of classroom we want.

Watch Video 14: Student Self-Reflection on Engagement.

After watching the video, how might you use the “Check Up From the Neck Up” in your
own classroom?
When was I most engaged?
When was I least engaged?
What could I have done to be more engaged?
Project PowerPoint Slide 16. Invite participants to consider each of the five character-
istics of engaged students and think of an example of one or more from their own life or
one from their teaching—a student example.
 Module 5: Engagement 39

Project PowerPoint Slide 17. Have participants turn and talk about the characteristics
of engaged students. Watch Video 15: What Does Engagement Look Like and Feel
Like? Invite participants to make connections between the slide and the video.

k. Project PowerPoint Slide 18. Explain that engaged classrooms are places in which all
voices are heard, respected, and valued. Communication between and among students
occurs in authentic ways naturally.

Distribute two sticky notes to each participant. After reading through the list, invite par-
ticipants to think of a way their own classroom is already an engaging classroom and a
goal they aspire to in the future. Have participants share their sticky notes and apply each
to two charts:

A way my classroom is engaging is . . . A goal to make my classroom more

engaging is . . .
40 ENGAGEMENT BY DESIGN: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GUIDE

l. Project PowerPoint Slide 19. Engaging classrooms produce engaged students with out-
comes every teacher wants to see. The delicate balance among the student, the teacher,
and the content is one that allows students to grow into successful learners.

Wrap-Up
m. Ask participants to read the rest of “Jeremy’s Story” and think back to all the ways in
which we’ve discussed engagement and all the facets related to it. Teachers possess the
ability to make a difference and to be a master of engagement by design.

Supplementary Sessions
a. Consider another session in which participants read and discuss a professional article that
relates to engagement. Suggestions include: “Engagement With Young Adult Literature:
Outcomes and Processes” and “Teachers Know When to Stop Talking.”

b. Survey participants and ask if there are topics in the book they’d like to return to. One option
is to make a copy of the Table of Contents and have participants circle topics for further dis-
cussion. One or more additional sessions might be planned from participants’ interests.

References
Ivy, G., & Johnston, P. H. (2013). Engagement with young adult literature: Outcomes and processes. Reading
Research Quarterly, 48(3), 255–275.
Newkirk, T. (2015). Teachers know when to stop talking. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/
articles/2015/07/28/teachers-know-when-to-stop-talking.html

Retrieved from the companion website for Engagement by Design: Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive by Douglas Fisher, Nancy
Frey, Russell J. Quaglia, Dominique Smith, and Lisa L. Lande. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, www.corwin.com. Copyright © 2018 by Corwin. All rights
reserved. Reproduction authorized only for the local school site or nonprofit organization that has purchased this book.
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