K. Janae's High Five - Here's to being anti-boring!

I don't think I've met a single teacher who has made it their life long goal to be boring. Seriously though, life is way to short to be boring. There is not an ounce of me that wants to be a boring, front-loading kind-of teacher. Here's five things I've realized about being an anti-boring teacher...

1. Engaging lessons take intentional planning.

• Intentional planning means intentional goal setting. In the classroom, those goals become referred to as learning objectives. Learning objectives are designed to include a behavior, a condition and a criterion. Traditionally, we write them so they can reside in our unit plans, our lesson plans and then get posted in our room so we can help guide the day and show our administrators. When my students see the objectives posted in my classroom, I want them to see more then just a daily goal for me to teach them. I want my students to see a learning objective that explicitly describes what they will gain from that day. Throughout my Pinterest escapades I've seen teachers from various grade levels share designs for how they post their objectives in their classroom. I'm intrigued by a design similar to this one... Thoughts?
  

2. Interest approaches are like breakfast.

• I'm guessing that at this point you're saying, "what's an interest approach and what in the world does it have to do with breakfast?" Well, allow me. What do we know about breakfast? That is arguably the most important meal of the day. We know that a good breakfast helps us set the pace for the next 23 hours of our day. Like breakfast, an interest approach or an anticipatory set plays a huge role in setting the tone for the rest of class. Protein gives you the energy to knock out your to-do list, interest approaches ignite the excitement for class.

3. Model the behavior you want from your students.

• Dave Burgess claims in his book "Teach Like A Pirate" that engaged students are less likely to be trouble-makers. He says "misbehavior usually indicates boredom, overwhelm or lack of connection to the material being covered." If I'm bored, or boring, my students will be bored. If I'm preoccupied with other life matters, then my students can be preoccupied with other issues then class. If I want my students to be engaged, I have to be engaging. I have to more then just show up. I have to be wholly present; 110% ready to take on that day and to take them to new and exciting places. I owe them at least that much.

4. You can't be engaging until you know what engages.

• Number one priority should not be getting students excited about Forest Ecology or Entomology or Ruminant Digestion or Electrical Wiring. Yes, that is so very important, but let's focus more time knowing them and their interests and passions and then let's make connections between their interests and your interesting topic of the day. Imagine how much more engaging your classroom would be?!

5. Being engaging is different then being engaged.

• There's a lot to be said about the teacher who puts their party hat on, parades into class with the music jamming and teaches plant propagation while standing on a desk. Okay, so that may be a little bit extreme, but clearly that teacher is unbelievably passionate and way excited to teach about grafting. Here's the thing, I want to be passionate and exciting and wild and progressive. I want to be a mover and a shaker and be totally different then any teacher my students have ever had. But I also want to know them. I want to be engaged in their life and passions and dreams. I want to push them further and call them higher. It's one thing to be effective, its another to be affective.

Simply put, I want to be anti-boring.

Simply put, I want to be a teacher that is more then engaging. I want to be engaged.

Here's a High Five from You to Me, K. Janae