Who's Engaged? Climb the Learning Ladder to See

Who’s Engaged applies a Student Engagement Framework to help teachers understand why it is important to focus on student learning by thinking about students climbing a learning ladder. The way teachers enter and leave their classrooms every day determines how they answer the question - how well did my students learn rather than how well did I teach. To positively answer the first question, teachers need to master the fundamentals of effective teaching to engage students to be reflective learners every day. Dr. Janet Pilcher does a remarkable job taking some very complex practices and explaining them in simple terms to help teachers align and design instruction to clearly scaffold student learning. She describes what she calls the Student Engagement Framework as a process teachers use to engage students every day. In particular, teachers create and communicate measurable learning targets, align learning tasks to the learning targets, provide opportunities for students to practice and reflect on their learning, and create ways for students to receive feedback to recognize areas working well and those needing improvements. During the learning process teachers serve as a coach to students to help them get better and better with the skill at hand. Once the practice session ends, teachers apply quality summative assessment tools to evaluate student learning. The book provides very specific tools for teachers to use to engage students as owners of their learning.