50 Real Ways To Re-Engage Learners In An Era of Distraction and Boredom

🌟 Quick Note

I’ve moved to the Beehiv platform for my email newsletter, and I’m super excited about all the ways to support great teaching and learning through this work! Reach out anytime if you have questions (you can reply to this email or contact me on the website).

🤯 In Case You Missed It

The first post in our series looked at the goal of school. Is it compliance or learning? If it is learning, then we need to actively work to engage kids who live in today’s world, and not try to make them fit into a system that was designed for a different world.

The second post in our series looked at the boredom problem we see in schools today. Seen as apathy, we can’t blame the kids, and must look to create more meaningful and relevant learning experiences across the K-12 spectrum.

Our final, third part in our series now goes into specific strategies, structures, tools, and experiences that can re-engage youth in our schools right now. If you liked this series, you’ll love my new book, Meaningful and Relevant: Engaging Learners in an Era of Distraction. 

💥 Part 3: 50 Real Ways To Re-Engage Learners In An Era of Distraction and Boredom

Read the article on Ajjuliani.com

Let’s get started!

#1: Choice Boards

Educators can make content more engaging by taking one or more of these actions:

· Conducting careful reviews of standards to determine essential content.

• Providing a wide range of activities that allow students to work with content worth knowing and mastering.

• Embedding less interesting content into high-interest activities and assignments.

Using a choice board is a perfect way to provide a variety of activities to either learn and consume the content, or to demonstrate understanding. Choice Boards give students options on how they jump into learning, and can be standards-based, lean into different technologies and resources, or simply provide an avenue for inquiry and interest connected to the content in your curriculum.

#2: UDL Options

Teachers can improve engagement by looking at the following practices:

• Taking student interests into account when developing units of work and designing assignments.

• Varying instructional formats and modes of presentation.

• Utilizing both physical and virtual spaces to offer meaningful learning opportunities.

Author of UDL Now!, Katie Novak (2016), explains how universal design for learning (UDL) can provide multiple modes of learning by varying formats and spaces for learning. Her analogy is one I share often: imagine you are hosting a dinner party or tailgate for 30 people. If everyone came over to your house and you offered one casserole dish—it could be gluten-free, vegetarian, or made to satisfy someone with a dietary restriction or a plain taste aversion—there would be plenty of folks who could not eat it. As host, you would find yourself as a short-order cook, trying to whip up new meals in the kitchen to meet the needs of your guests. A much better option would be to offer a buffet, or even host a potluck.

The same can happen in the classroom when we teach a one-size-fits-all lesson. We find ourselves having to differentiate like that short-order cook. However, if we were to provide a variety of intentional options at the start that could meet the needs of each student (like a buffet), we could pre-emptively serve everybody.

#3: Product Tracks

Teachers can make standards more engaging by ensuring students clearly understand what they are expected to do and how their work will be evaluated. While also, helping students see the personal value of meeting these standards.

We can enhance engagement by taking the following actions:

• Linking learning to products, performances, or exhibitions that students find meaningful.

• Providing opportunities for students to lead and assist others in carrying out leadership functions.

In Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy’s book Project-Based Learning, the authors share three different project tracks that we can create in the classroom. The first would be an open-endedtrack on which the students demonstrate what they need to learn in whatever way they want. The second would be a problem track in which the students solve a problem given by the teacher or found by the students.

The final track focuses on the product. On the product track, the students create a product or contribute to an event. For example, elementary students might learn about force and motion by creating a pinball machine to demonstrate their understanding, or middle school students might create a public service announcement for a local recreation center to showcase their writing and speaking skills. In each case, the product (and learning process) is tied to the curriculum. Clearly connecting the standards to their products brings clarity to the learning and leads to conferencing opportunities for teachers and students.

#4: Epic Failure Boards

Create a safe learning environment by:

Treating failure as a normal part of the learning process. And, working directly with students to diagnose and correct the causes of failure.

In my class, we created an Epic Fail bulletin board, inspired by teachers from around the world doing Genius Hour and 20% time inquiry projects. The idea was simple. Each week, students would share out their biggest fail. We would talk, discuss, and support each other through the process. It turned into a weekly highlight for all our students and changed the culture of learning.

#5: Choice and Agency

Increase student ownership in a few simple ways:

·1. Offering options for the ways in which students can demonstrate their mastery of learning goals.

2. Providing opportunities to select modes of presentation and means of acquiring information.

In our book Empower, John Spencer and I, thinking about student choice and ownership, asked, “What decisions am I making for my students that they could make for themselves?” Choice can lead to ownership, agency, and eventually engagement and empowerment and deeper learning. You can have choice in types of learning content, choice in pace, choice in documenting learning, choice in final learning products or performance tasks, and choice in how you reflect. Ultimately, it has to be done with a purpose and needs limits.

#6: Authenticity with Partnerships

Make learning more relevant by:

• Designing tasks that increase student ownership of the quality of results.

• Ensuring that meeting standards has consequences that students care about.

In the Centennial School District, the students benefit from a myriad of partnerships. Each partnership brings a new authentic opportunity for learning and drives engagement because students create for real people and real situations instead of only for a teacher.

Whether it is the Shoprite located inside the High School run by the business students, or the Genetics of Cancer class that partners with the Fox Chase Cancer Center, learners get unique opportunities. Other examples include designing solutions for the MIT Bicycle team and a forensics class in which students solve crime scenes for a mid-term. Each of these partnerships is free, benefits both parties involved, and leads to relevant learning experiences due to authentic problems and audiences.

7. Involve Students in Solutions

What better way to engage students than to include them in developing solutions? Ask them directly what's working and what could work better through surveys and focus groups. This could include student-led conferences, classroom co-generation sessions, student advisory committees, and student membership on schoolwide teams.

8. Enhance the "Five C's" in Your Classroom

I’m laughing because there are so many “C's” in education, however, the research does suggest that boosting these five elements can significantly reduce boredom. We can change the words too if you’d like 😀

• Control: Give students voice in how they demonstrate learning

• Choice: Offer multiple pathways to meet learning objectives

• Challenge: Provide appropriate scaffolding to keep tasks in the "Zone of Proximity”

• Complexity: Design open-ended activities that allow for creative problem-solving

• Caring: Foster relationships that help students feel connected and valued

9. Make Learning Meaningful

Help students understand the "why" behind what they're learning:

• Connect content to real-world applications and student interests

• Design project-based learning experiences that address authentic problems

• Invite community members to share how they use specific knowledge and skills

• Create opportunities for students to apply learning in service to others

10. Teach Students to Navigate Boredom

While we work to improve our systems, we can also help students develop strategies for when boredom inevitably occurs:

• Teach mindfulness practices that help students recognize and reframe boredom

• Encourage students to identify their own strategies for re-engagement

• Help students "gamify" less intrinsically interesting tasks

• Support students in finding personal meaning in required learning

11. Rethink Assessment and Feedback

Traditional grading systems often diminish intrinsic motivation:

• Implement more formative assessment with specific, growth-oriented feedback

• Create opportunities for students to assess their own learning

• Design authentic assessments that demonstrate real-world application

• Celebrate progress and effort, not just achievement

12: Make It Relevant Tool

AI can help teachers create more meaningful and relevant content by:

• Generating personalized learning materials tailored to individual student interests and backgrounds

• Analyzing current events and trends to incorporate timely, real-world examples into lessons

• Curating diverse, culturally responsive content that resonates with students' experiences

Favorite AI Application: Magic School —> Make It Relevant Tool.

Navigate to MagicSchool’s “Make It Relevant” tool, add some details about your content, lesson, and students— then get ideas to bring this content to life in meaningful and relevant ways.

Better yet, tie it into something that is meaningful to you as an educator, and we’ve got seriously attention and commitment.

13: Community Connections

In each class they've had multiple opportunities to interact out in the community or in a way that connects to our local community. Whether writing, producing a play/skit or presentation for the community---even interacting with the natural habitats of the community.

These experiences of going beyond the classroom (and traditional curriculum) spark interest and connection. They also give the teacher and students lots of talking points to refer back to, laugh about, and build on for the future.

My son loved putting on a show during the Wax Museum for all the younger and older students (and parents) who came out to ask him questions.

My daughter enjoyed going to a community college to present on her group's project for a national event.

These are just two of the many experiences where their teachers found new audiences for the kids to create for and share their learning with in meaningful ways. Instant engagement!

14: Real-World Applications

Favorite AI Application: Perplexity.ai Real-Time Search.

AI can connect learning to real-world applications by:

• Generating case studies and scenarios based on current events or local issues

• Creating simulations of real-world problem-solving situations

• Suggesting community partnerships or expert connections related to course content

If you have ever used ChatGPT or MagicSchool and been happy with the ideas, but not sure where to go next due to lack of linked sources and follow up resources—then Perplexity is for you. It’s the best combo between a Google Search and ChatGPT search, where you can get information on local events, community connections, and real-world scenarios that connect to your content and class.

15: Talking About Transfer

Transfer. I don't think my kids have ever heard that word used in a classroom. However, they have heard many times WHY they are learning something and HOW they can use this knowledge, understanding, and skill in their future.

Talking with kids about their current learning experiences and why they matter in the near and distant future is a huge piece of the engagement puzzle. These teachers do a masterful job of sharing how their learning will transfer.

16: SchoolAI Spaces/Sidekick

AI can generate realistic, personalized scenarios that challenge students to apply their learning in diverse contexts:

• Create virtual environments where students solve problems using course concepts

• Adapt scenarios based on individual student interests and career goals

• Provide immediate feedback on decision-making and problem-solving approaches

Want your students to use AI, but worried they are only going to use it to find answers, instead of learning? Enter School AI. SchoolAI spaces are teacher created chatbots that are designed for your learning purpose and task. You’ll provide the context, the guardrails (“Keep students on task”, “Do NOT do the work for them”), and the AI will create a back and forth conversation that can have students solve problems, go through specific tasks, take assessments, and transfer their learning to unique challenges.

17: Allowing Real Agency

There is no secret formula to student engagement, however, I’ve consistently seen agency at the top of the list. It may be more correlation, than causation, but when students own the learning—engagement is most likely present.

Think of the best learning experiences you ever went through as a student. Did you have any choice or ownership? Was it a challenge you felt compelled to take on? Maybe a connection to something meaningful?

Now think of the best teaching experiences you’ve ever led. I bet those same features of student agency were present at some point, because it also gets us excited about the learning happening.

18: Your Favorite AI VoiceMode (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok, MagicSchool, SchoolAI etc)

AI can enhance student agency by:

• Generating multiple options for assignments or projects that meet learning objectives

• Creating personalized "learning menus" with various paths to mastery

• Suggesting relevant resources based on individual student interests and goals

Hear me out. When we get students talking to AI and using it for multiple purposes, wonderful things can happen. It becomes a creative planning partner, instead of something kids use to cheat. If you are working with younger learners, the SchoolAI custom space you create can be used in voice mode, and tailored to your purposes, where the whole chat is visible to the teacher.

19: Meaningful Feedback

It's not all roses in learning. Plenty of times my kids have dropped the ball on something, made a mistake, or tried and struggled with something in these classes.

They kind of feedback you receive from teachers in these moments matter. Kids are always wondering if you believe they can achieve, and if you are going to be there to help them on that journey. When we make it a priority to share that a) we do believe and b) we are right here holding them to a high standard and helping them reach it--then powerful learning happens.

20. Growth Through Curipod

AI can help celebrate student growth and achievements by:

• Generating personalized progress reports highlighting growth and accomplishments

• Creating digital badges or certificates for skill master

• Suggesting specific, actionable feedback based on student work analysis

I’ve used Curipod for so many different uses cases. To take my boring presentation and make it an interactive class activity. To check for understanding at the beginning or end of class. To create game-based situations around our content for the lesson or unit. But, my favorite way to use it is for student feedback. Built into Curipod is AI Feedback question types where you can upload the question and criteria (rubric etc) for students to receive immediate, actionable, and specific feedback based on their response. I can see all these responses as well, and share out with the class. It is awesome.

21: GRIT Rubric

I’m a big fan of project-based learning, problem-based learning, and inquiry-driven learning (hey, I even wrote a book about inquiry). But there is a secret (and big) problem with project-based learning.

Chris Lehmann (Principal at Science Leadership Academy) famously said, “If you assign a project and get back 30 of the same thing, that’s not a project, that’s a recipe.” And therein lies the problem with projects. When we assign projects we tend to have an assignment with guidelines, steps, and a rubric for how it is going to be graded. Often we show examples of previous projects that received high marks.

Think about what you would do if you were a student….no, really think about it for a moment. Yep, it is exactly what I would do. I’d create a project that met the specifications and guidelines, and hand in something I knew would get a high grade on the rubric. And then I’d have a project like everyone else.

I flipped that entire project-based learning process on it’s head when I did the 20% Time Project with my students. They had to create their own project (and product) and document the process. But I didn’t grade their final product. I did not give them a rubric for that final product. Instead, we graded students on the process.

For this, we used ​the G.R.I.T. Rubric​ developed by ​College Track​ (it’s way too awesome). This assesses students on the PROCESS not the final PRODUCT by measuring their Guts, Resiliency, Integrity, and Tenacity while working on the project.

22: Screencasting Your Thinking and Your Doing

Imagine getting a sheet with 20 math problems, solved, and with the steps. Maybe 10 years ago this would show the thinking and work, but now with PhotoMath, Wolfram Alpha, and ChatGPT -- all those steps could be AI-generated.

Enter screencasting.

Here you have students screencast them solving 2-3 math problems, talking through their learning process, showing their work, and where they are struggling. By hearing, and seeing, student learning in action - we are able to assess where they are at right now --- way more accurately than seeing only the final product.

23: Video Annotations on Any Work

Let's take screencasting to the next level. Video annotations can take any student's work (lab report, essay, analysis, project, etc) and allow the students to talk through their learning.

They can annotate with their voice, and using drawings, stickers, and other video editing tools. The goal is not for the video to come out as a beautiful final product, but instead be a reflection on their learning so far.

24: Create Process Rubrics and Conferences

Using detailed learning goals as the formation for these rubrics, learners will be able to continually see (both through self-assessment and conferencing) where they are on a continuum of proficiency and mastery.

Honestly, ChatGPT has been fantastic at helping me create these types of process rubrics. It will even put it in a table for you!

Then you have conferences with students to assess and give feedback on their learning during the process.

I'm a big fan of my co-author ​John Spencer's "4 Types of Learning Conferences" ​and have used these with all kinds of students over the years:

25: Failing Reports

I know there are many different definitions of failure, but as a class we adopted a mantra: Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn.

This is a fantastic way to frame mistakes, missteps, and struggles. I’ve also used this in my personal and professional life as an author, speaker, husband, and father.

Have students share what went well, what they learned, and where they struggled -- you'll learn more about them and their learning through this process.

26: Benchmark Shark Tank Presentations

I used to think Shark Tank presentations were for the end of the unit/project. However, when you put them right after the idea generation phase of a project -- it changes everything.

When students in my school have their Shark Tank pitch day, they get to share with the entire class what they are working on. Publicly announcing what they are trying to accomplish makes the goal real. Students get to see what their peers are working on and want to make sure their project stands up to the rest of the class.

27: Portfolios

The final (and maybe best) way of assessing the process is through portfolios.

George Couros shares that there are two types of portfolios that work really well to assess learning:

28: 11-Minute Essay

Chances are if you teach writing (and most subjects and grade levels do) you’ve used some version of this before. I love the versions of the 11-Minute Essay shared by Erika San Miguel and Gretchen Bernabei on their websites.

Here’s how they break it down:

Here is a great list of visual prompts and truism’s that Gretchen Bernabei created.

This works for two reasons. First, the writing is happening in front of you in the classroom and in a time-constrained period. Second, after the initial burst you can use A.I. to edit, revise, adapt if need be. The teacher can work with the students and use AI as a tool, or not use it depending on your purpose of the lesson.

29: Project-Based Sprints

Project-Based Learning is a fantastic way to run AI-resistant and AI-compatible experiences in and out of the classroom. The reasons I love “Sprints” as a truly AI-compatible practice is two-fold.

First, a Project-Based Sprint is about the learning process (not the final product). Students research, create, and iterate in short, time-constrained bursts.

Second, a Project-Based Sprint can leverage A.I. for research help, feedback, ideas, and quick prototyping. It can serve as a creative learning partner during the sprint (which is one of my favorite use cases for artificial intelligence in the classroom).

I’ve written about this approach extensively, but a simple way to start at Project-Based Sprint is by using the three step process below:

1. Give students a choice in content to learn (based on your curriculum), get in groups of 2-3 students, time to research, and then create a PSA on day 1.

2. Day 2 students share what they created, get feedback, iterate and improve for an authentic audience.

3. Day 3 the students defend their learning, what they created, and why they chose the audience (more on this down below #31).

30: Guided Bot Conversations/Discussions

For HS teachers this has been one of my favorite examples of integrating AI into your writing assignments, by the IB English Guys

Leverage Your Personal Learning Assistant

Sure, we could refer to LitCharts, Sparknotes, or some other website to learn more about the play.  That gives us a nice overview.  But what do you really want to know and discuss?  It’s time to take control of your own learning and leverage ChatGPT as your personal learning assistant.

Instructions:

1. Enter the following prompt or similar into ChatGPT.

“I am an IB English student.  I just read the Prologue and Episode 1 of Antigone for homework.  I would like to have an academic conversation that helps me understand the key elements of these sections.  My teacher asks that this conversation last 15 minutes and provide comprehensive coverage of the content and form of the text.  Please begin.”

1. Engage in a meaningful conversation for 15 minutes.

2. Refer to your teacher’s model conversation 1 and model conversation 2 to better understand the possibilities and power of generative AI and personalized education.

3. Consider targeting:

• Reading comprehension

• Character development

• Emerging themes

• Dramatic elements

• Dramatic structure

Link the conversation in your Learner Portfolio after 15 minutes.  

Note: This link and conversation is an important part of your learning evidence.

1. Use the reflection sentence stems and write a meaningful reflection on key learnings from the session.

2. Upload the reflection to your Learner Portfolio.

31: Defend Your Learning

Let's say students are doing science or math homework. They have questions to answer and should explain or show their work.

Maybe it's a Lab Report or a few Word Problems. In either case, we typically would hand these to the teacher, who would grade the final product, turn it back to the students, and move on to the next assignment or activity.

This isn't just how my classroom works. It's how most classrooms work, and many curricula and scope/sequences are built on this premise.

Now that artificial intelligence tools exist to help students master these types of assignments in no time, it can become difficult for a teacher to really understand whether or not the students have a solid understanding, or if they are using AI tools to assist.

Here's where we can use "Defend Your Learning".

This is my favorite way to use this strategy. During the assignment or homework, students will use Loom (or any other screencasting tool) to record their work and explain/defend their steps, answers, and thinking.

The benefit of this strategy is that we get to see and hear what the students are thinking and their process.

It can also be “AI-Resistant” because the explanation and defense are done by the actual students in their voice.

Better yet, when students share their defense with their peers they can get comments, emoji responses, and feedback right inside the Loom video that is sent to their email.

Teachers can comment as well, or respond with a video of their own as a follow-up!

32: Bot-Assisted Creative Tasks

I was recently working with a 2nd-grade classroom, and we used Curipod to assist the students in creating their own “Fairy Tale Story”.

First, I used the “Co-Write A Fairy Tale” prompt on Curipod, and set up a lesson for the students to join with a code (or link in their LMS/Google Classroom).

Next, we focused on the the theme of “Friendship” (something they had been spending time on in the classroom).

Students had time to enter in key details about their main character (most chose themselves). We also prompted them to add some details about the scene, plot, and anything else that they liked.

Note: They did not need to write in full-sentences. This was words or phrases and we walked around the classroom helping during this process.

Afterwards we had the “co-writer A.I.” turn their details into a Fairy Tale story. This is where things got exciting!

The students could see how their details formed the base for the story, and were able to read (or be read to) all about their tale.

Next, we had students draw a picture of one of their favorite scenes with crayons, colored pencils, and paper.

Finally, we took those pictures, uploaded them to ChatGPT and asked it to turn the picture into a anime, cartoon, or Pixar scene depending on the students’ preference. The end results were awesome!

33-37: An A.I. Collaborative Task

The worst thing we can do right now is act like AI doesn’t exist or impact the learning in our schools and classrooms. Thankfully, most folks have accepted this new era we are living in.

But, as Matt Miller has said, “How do we teach now that we know this exists?” I’m hoping a few of the ideas above resonated with you and maybe can spark some new ways to engage learners.

The big shift I see happening in 2024 and beyond is teachers beginning to master when/where to use A.I. depending on the learning purpose/goal. This is something I spend a lot of time on in my workshops — how do we craft an intentional learning experience that uses A.I. as a collaborative tool in the process.

I’ll end with an example that I share worked for me as an instructor:

Day 1:

Class comes in and I tell them we are “RED” for the next 15 minutes. They are going to brainstorm topics for their next written assignment/essay based on the text we just read. Their goal is to come up with a few unique ideas for a thesis and outline.

After I pair them up with a partner to get some feedback and choose two ideas they want to flesh out into an outline. For this task students will be in “YELLOW” and can use A.I. if they need it as long as they run it by me first.

We end the day with every student having two outlines fleshed out and ready for a rough draft.

Day 2:

Students start the day again in “RED”. They have a 30-minute Hemingway style writer’s workshop where they are taking one of the outlines and creating a rough draft. No editing, no revising. Just writing for 30 minutes as a brain dump using the outline as a guide.

We end with a speed-date peer review where they share their outline and rough draft with a few of their peers and see what other folks are writing as well to get some ideas.

For HW we are going to be in “GREEN”. They are going to take these rough drafts and turn them into a Final Draft using SchoolAI. They’ll have to share tomorrow how the A.I. helped, what went well, what didn’t go well, and what their process looked like.

Day 3:

Students come in and immediately are put into small groups. They are going to share their final drafts and with the SchoolAI save feature, show their process they went through to use A.I. to help them and reflect on it.

Note: You’ve never seen kids talk more about their writing than when they are able to talk about how A.I. helped or didn’t help. It has been the best kind of “peer review” I’ve seen in 20 years.

Final 30 minutes of class we are back in “RED”. Now they are going to take their final drafts and add their own unique voice back into the paper. Highlighting what makes it sound and feel like they wrote it vs an A.I. bot.

Day 4:

We spend the beginning of class in “RED” continuing from the previous day, then finish in “GREEN” so they can run their papers through Grammarly to check for spelling and grammatical errors before turning in their assignment.

Their final piece is to be in “RED” and write a reflection on the process and their use of A.I. to hand in with the paper that shares their whole process of use.

38: Paper/pencil In-Person

The easiest, and most basic way to go AI-resistant is to keep any learning activity or assessment, both in-person…and paper/pencil.

An in-person assessment that is paper-pencil is very AI-resistant. So is an in-person essay, in-person math problems, and even an in-person brainstorming session.

None of these are bad practices, as some would try to make them seem to be. You can use these practices for a variety of purposes, and mostly to see what your students are thinking, and able to do on their own. It’s simple. Effective.

Using only these practices presents a number of problems, especially in terms of attention, engagement, and long-term transfer. The remaining practices are more geared towards a world in which students are engaged in learning, not compliant in the process they are forced to go through.

39: Discussion Game

My students rolled into class like any other day, and not much was changed. The tables were still set up in small groups, the projector was on with their “Do Now” activity on the board. And, the Homework for the week was written for each day.

The only difference was that each seat had a white envelope on it, filled with five cards of all different colors.

Here’s the basics. Each student gets a number of different colored cards to use throughout the discussion. They must play each card once, but can play the question card multiple times after using all other cards.

Each card is worth a point (if you want to grade this activity, completely up to you and your classroom/school) and the goal is to replace assessing only the final product (quiz) and instead the process of learning (having an active discussion).

This scaffolds the student-centered classroom in two ways.

First, the game is centered on your subject, concept, content, text for the lesson. Students have to be engaged with that content in order to respond with the above answers and questions (I think, I know because, I feel, Connect, etc).

Second, it models the many ways you can contribute to an active learning discussion. This helps the students who may be shy or want to hide during the discussion.

40: Debate

Another simple, and effective, practice. This can work in any subject area. Students are given some time in-class to prepare to take on a “side” or “perspective” in a debate.

Explain the structure and rules of the debate to your students. A simple format might include:

• Opening statements from each side (1-2 minutes per team)

• Rebuttals (1-2 minutes per team)

• Open discussion (moderated by the teacher, 5-10 minutes)

• Closing statements (1 minute per team)

Split the class into multiple teams, one for the proposition and one for the opposition. Each team should have an equal number of students. If the class is large, you can have multiple debates with smaller groups or assign roles such as researchers, speakers, and note-takers within each team.

Give students time to research their topic and prepare their arguments. During the debate, set up the classroom with teams facing each other. As the moderator, keep the debate on track by following the structured format you introduced. Ensure each student has an opportunity to participate and that the debate remains respectful.

After the debate, hold a reflection session. Ask students what they learned, how they felt about the experience, and what skills they improved. Discuss the importance of understanding multiple perspectives and how to use debate skills in other areas of their lives.

41: Fishbowl

After a structured debate or playing the discussion game a few times, students began to get into discussions and own the conversation. Yes, they were prodded into answers and asking questions, but the goal of the first step is to get them talking (and have me talk way less).

It worked for our class and for many in our school. But, it was not the final goal. I’d rather not have the carrot (or stick) be the only reason students are talking, so we had to continue moving away from that reason, and also change up the format to one that is less scripted by the cards.

Fish Bowl Prep: Students are to have read, learned, or already delved into a specific text or content before the start of class. This, however, does not need to be homework. It could be learning that happened in a previous lesson or experience. The key is that the students are not learning something “new” during the Fish Bowl, they are instead going to learn from each other during the discussion and share their insights and questions (much like the discussion game).

Classroom Setup: Set up your classroom with two sets of circles. One big circle will be on the outside and then on the inside there will be a smaller circle of four-to-five chairs (depending on class size this could also be three or six chairs).

How it Works: When students come into class they will grab a seat. Don’t worry where they sit as all students will eventually get into the middle of the circle (The Fish Bowl) for the discussion. The inside circle does the talking and discussing. They should be prepared but focus on having an active conversation using the techniques learned in the discussion game. The outside circle takes notes on the inner discussion. This could be scaffolded by the teacher to focus on specific areas of the conversation, or more wide open like taking notes during a lecture. Depends on your situation for how you want to prep students for the outside not taking.

Every five minutes you’ll want to replace the inner circle with new students to discuss. They can pick up where the previous discussion left off, or start new.

Two keys to making this work. First, as a teacher, you must not prompt or get students talking. The goal is for them to have a productive struggle in the beginning and then get into a flow. Second, depending on your class you may want to pick the fishbowl groups ahead of time to get a good mix of students for the discussion. This, of course, is your preference as the teacher.

Finally, you can assess this conversation in a few ways, but I’d focus more on the active discussion part than what was said at first. Then as you do it more often and students become comfortable you can change a rubric to have different assessment pieces that reflect the content of the discussion.

42: Finish My ____

Divide students into small groups of 3-5. Grouping can be done randomly or based on ability levels, depending on your goals.

Clearly explain the rules and objectives to the students. There are three variations you can use:

43. Finishing Each Other’s Sentences (Writing Activity)

1. Starting the Story: Give each group a piece of paper and a sentence starter. For example, "Once upon a time, in a land far away..."

2. Writing in Turns: The first student writes a sentence to continue the story, then passes the paper to the next student, who adds another sentence. This process continues until everyone in the group has contributed multiple times.

3. Sharing the Stories: Once the stories are complete, have each group read their story aloud to the class. Discuss the different directions each story took and what made them interesting or creative.

44. Finishing Each Other’s Insights (Critical Thinking Activity)

1. Starting with a Statement: Provide each group with a thought-provoking statement or question. For example, "The best way to solve environmental problems is..."

2. Adding Insights: The first student writes their insight or answer, then passes the paper to the next student, who adds another point, elaborates on the previous one, or offers a different perspective.

3. Group Discussion: After everyone has contributed, the group discusses the combined insights. They can summarize their thoughts and share them with the class.

45. Finishing Each Other’s Math Problems (Math Activity)

1. Starting the Problems: Give each group a worksheet with several multi-step math problems, with each problem's initial step completed.

2. Solving in Steps: The first student completes the next step of the problem, then passes the paper to the next student, who continues with the subsequent step. This continues until the problem is solved.

3. Reviewing Solutions: Once all problems are solved, groups can check their answers together. Discuss any discrepancies and the steps taken to arrive at the solutions.

After the activity, hold a class discussion to reflect on the experience:

• What did students learn from working together?

• How did they handle any disagreements or challenges?

• What strategies did they find most effective?

This no-tech activity promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity among students—and is super-flexible in how you structure it, depending on your grade level and subject-area.

46: Skit

This was one of my favorite ways as a teacher to get kids thinking, creating, and using their hands, bodies, and expressions.

Acting out a “skit” for something you are working on, reading, or trying to learn about helps in many ways.

Allow groups time to brainstorm ideas and plan their skits. Encourage them to think creatively about how to convey their understanding through dialogue, actions, and props. Provide guiding questions such as:

• What are the key points we need to cover?

• How can we make the skit engaging and informative?

• What roles will each group member play?

Have each group write a script for their skit and begin rehearsing. Encourage them to include:

• Introduction: Briefly introduce the topic or setting.

• Body: Develop the main content, showcasing their understanding through dialogue and actions.

• Conclusion: Summarize the key points or provide a resolution

Allow students to gather or create simple props and costumes that enhance their skits. Make it fun! Then set up a performance area in the classroom. Each group takes turns performing their skit in front of the class.

You can do this in multiple subject areas.

• Science: Demonstrating a scientific process or concept, such as the water cycle or photosynthesis.

• History: Acting out a famous historical event, or a key moment from various vantage points.

• Literature: Performing a scene from a novel or play, or creating an original skit that explores a theme from a book they’ve read.

• Math: Illustrating a mathematical concept, such as fractions, geometry, or solving word problems through a real-life scenario.

By acting out skits, students can engage deeply with the material, demonstrate their understanding in a dynamic way, and develop important skills in communication, collaboration, and creativity.

47: Outdoor/Explore - Found Learning

Another simple practice. Get outside.

Explore how nature connects to your subject area.

Create poems with “found” poetry/words.

Do a class challenge.

The list goes on. All of the outdoor learning options are AI-resistant and great for the mind, body, and soul!

48: Hands-On Experiments

Another practice we should do even MORE of while living in a world of artificial intelligence is hands-on experiments.

These are often saved for Science classes, but let’s make sure we are getting hands-on in all different subject areas.

You could learn fractions with pizza, geometry with string, or dive into programming with design sprints.

Create a poetry walk, use story dice, or start map-making.

The list is endless!

49: Whole Class Challenge

Giving an entire class a challenge to work on and compete is one of my favorite ways to engage. I did this in many different ways, but my favorite was with one of my colleagues at Wissahickon High School.

We had our 11th grade English classes compete against each other to solve a mystery that was based on the books we were reading and set in the High School. Each day they would get new clues that they would have to use the text to explore and come up with answers to the mystery. We did this for three-days and the attention and commitment was at an all time high!

50: Ask your colleagues, AI, and teachers on the internet

We are able to teach and lead learning at a time in history when ideas and collaboration are right at our fingertips.

Ask your colleagues what is working well right now. Use AI to generate ideas, scenarios, and strategies. Talk to other teachers and educators online who are already sharing and discussing best and next practices!

🗓️ Upcoming Events

Reviews! The first few Amazon reviews are coming in for Meaningful and Relevant, and it is always scary for an author. I’m proud of the book and sharing it with the world, but it always comes with a wide variety of feedback (which is a good thing). Here is a recent review that had me smiling:

Thanks as always,

A.J. Juliani