Welcome to our book study blog! We look forward to sharing thoughts, ideas, and experiences while reading, Teach like a Pirate.
If you are on Twitter, you can follow the author, Dave Burgess, @burgessdave.
Also, check out this blog. It has lots of ideas and things to try from the book!
Happy Reading!
Thanks for setting this up! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIn his book, "How to Teach Like a Pirate," Dave Burgess discusses the classroom climate he sets on the first day of school. He explains how he gives his students play-doh on the first day of school and asks them to create something that describes them. This activity allows him to find out something unique about each student that he can use in a lesson in the future. Rapport between teacher and student is based on a unique relationship built on trust and respect. Students have to know that you value them for who they are. He also mentions in this same chapter that we as educators are "selling education." We want our students to know that an education can change their life by showing them how it changed ours. His enthusiasm and excitement for teaching makes me want to "teach like a PIRATE."
ReplyDeleteI like the setting of the climate on the first day, it allows the students to get a feel for expectations and some insight to the teacher. The part of teaching the student makes the most sense. Teaching the student affords the opportunity for the student to learn the skill and apply it to appropriate scenarios other than the one listed on the test. Looking/Thinking of teachers (us) as sales persons for education is a great way to describe what we do everyday. Having enthusiasm even for the products (subject) not our favorite will motivate students to see what we are so excited about. The enthusiasm shown can be the best hook for teaching a subject. I like that my outside the box ideas has me on the right track. Being okay with taking a chance on unusual antics is acceptable, as long as the students benefit/learn from them.
DeleteI am enjoying reading, "Teach Like A Pirate" by Dave Burgess. In the first section, I am reminded how my passion and enthusiasm can get students get excited about learning. I wanted to make positive changes and stir up the passion and enthusiasm in me. I notice each time I am excited about a topic, my lesson goes so much better and the students are more engaged. When I was teaching on immigration, I wanted to share my family history on immigration. My grandparents immigrated to America from Italy when they were children. They reached Ellis Island with their parents. Years later in 1945 they received their U.S. citizenship. We looked at websites of pictures of Ellis Island, inside Statue of Liberty, listened to historic information, and read several books. I think sharing this personal connection with my students made the topic of immigration more real to them. Many students search the library for books on immigration. I began noticing many times when I expressed excitement about a topic, students look for books in the library to take home to read. They were eager to read them to the class. As Dave Burgess said, "Enthusiasm is contagious.." I want to keep enthusiasm stirred up in me as well in my students to transform my classroom into an exciting and engaging environment of learning.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Teach Like a Pirate Part II: Crafting Engaging Lessons, I have decided this is one area that I need to try to improve. Dave Burgess discusses how engaging students is the key to successful learning. I know that sometimes this is something that can be difficult. Well, he discusses using 'hooks' to help engage students on a daily basis. He describes the people prop hook, the dance and drama hook, the Picasso hook, the real-world application hook, the interior design hook, the props hook, the storytelling hook, etc. Bottom line is every lesson has a hook. We, as teachers, have to be willing to put our bait on the hook and throw it in the water to catch our fish! If we don't bait our 'hooks', we are never going to catch our fish! We have to incorporate this theory into our daily lessons to keep our students engage and excited about learning. This is what 'Teaching Like a Pirate' is all about.
ReplyDeleteJoanna, I agree with you. This is an area I need to improve too. I like to use props and visuals with my lessons. I believe it helps the students to make a visual connection and engages students in learning about the topic or building skills. As I was reading about the different kinds of “hooks” in section II, Dave Burgess states to “actively engage students before class start…” I like his idea of the Board Message Hook to get students’ interest and curiosity when they enter the room. I reflected on lessons I taught using “hooks” such as Mission Impossible (solving a mystery) and Kinesthetic Hook (movement and action lesson). Students were engaged in learning. Also, I thought about the lessons where I could have planned ahead better and used specific “hooks” like Picasso (3D art), or Mozart (music to wrap up a lesson). It takes time, planning, and preparing to create engaging lessons with hooks. We can do it. We can “TEACH LIKE A PIRATE”!
ReplyDeleteThanks for setting this up!
ReplyDeleteI love this quote from the book: "They (pirates) reject the status quo and refuse to conform to any society that stifles creativity and independence. They are entrepreneurs who takes risks and are willing to travel to the ends of the earth for that which they value." That is what good teaching is all about---taking risks to do what we value most.
ReplyDeleteThe Arts! The Arts! We have so many students; those who we already know are talented and those whose talents have yet to be awakened, that are starving for the opportunity to be creative. Yet, we are so focused on teaching the standard that we miss opportunities to incorporate the arts ALONG WITH the standard. Of course we must teach the standards, but we can use art to do it! All students can benefit from the chance to explore and create and it's my responsibility to give my students the opportunity. "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein
ReplyDeleteI liked the section on "The Law of Attraction", especially the quote that said "Those flashes of inspiration will only come when you have tuned your mind to the correct frequency by engaging in the creative process and asking the right questions." I do believe that when we are open to creativity and work towards receiving and attracting the correct/needed idea that it will come to us.
ReplyDeleteI have found this book to be very thought provoking and very user friendly. The ideas are great and they are not so difficult that one cannot add them to your lessons to liven up your existing lessons. One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "A good teacher, like a good entertainer, first must hold his audience's attention. Then he can teach his lesson." This is so very true.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading this book because it has helped me reflected on my own teaching practices. One of the sections that stood out to me was the selection on "Immersion". This influenced me to choose "Immersion" as my "One Word" for the year. Being completely immersed in my classroom has been something I have struggled with this year. With the demands that Extended Day has brought, I have found myself constantly trying to multitask or being distracted with concerns or problems regarding the after school program. This distraction has even spilled into my personal life. One quote that resided with me was " 'When he's teaching you, he isn't doing anything else!' Students can feel it when you are truly present." After reading this book, I have focused my attention on making sure that I am "truly present" for my students. I have noticed a increase in engagement and learning when I am not being pulled in two directions and can completely focus on the lesson at hand.
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