The 27 Principles of Engagement: The Timeless Art of Capturing Attention and Inspiring Learning
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This book is not a list of strategies to try once and discard. It is a framework of 27 Principles of Engagement—tested across history, confirmed by research, and refined for today’s classrooms.
Taking inspiration from books like Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power, each principle in this book follows a path:
A Guiding Insight to frame the idea.
Vignettes from history’s greatest teachers, coaches, and mentors.
When the Principle is Ignored, showing the cost.
When the Principle is Embodied, showing the impact.
Practical Applications for modern classrooms.
A Closing Reflection to carry forward.
You may choose to listen/read it cover to cover, or you may flip to the principle that meets your current need. Think of this book as a playbook. You can choose your path, or chapters, and have it ready be drawn upon when the situation calls for it.
Here’s the full table of contents, with each Principle laid out.
Before you can teach content, you must first acquire attention.
Presence Before You Teach the Lesson
Vignettes: Pat Summitt, Socrates
Principle: Presence sets the stage for learning.
Never Compete with Distraction—Redirect It
Vignettes: Maria Montessori, John Wooden
Principle: Energy is redirected, never suppressed.
Mask Chaos with Calm
Vignettes: Nelson Mandela, Fred Rogers
Principle: Your state becomes the classroom’s state.
Harness the Power of Mystery
Vignettes: Confucius, Bill Walsh
Principle: Curiosity is strongest when answers are withheld.
Over-Prepare, Then Teach with Spontaneity
Vignettes: Jesuit Tradition, John Dewey
Principle: Structure enables improvisation.
Part II: The Psychology of Curiosity
Engagement grows when students pursue questions, not just answers.
Turn Work into Play
Vignettes: Plato’s Academy, Friedrich Fröbel
Principle: Play reframes struggle as challenge.
Teach Questions, Not Just Answers
Vignettes: Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein
Principle: Questions open the mind; answers close it.
Curiosity Outweighs Compliance
Vignettes: Rachel Carson and Eleanor Roosevelt
Principle: Obedience without curiosity produces silence, not learning.
Reveal the Why Before the What
Vignettes: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Florence Nightingale
Principle: Purpose drives persistence.
Make It a Game
Vignettes: The Olympic Games, Jean Piaget
Principle: Repetition becomes play with the right frame.
Part III: Relationships as Leverage
Engagement is relational before it is intellectual.
Engagement Begins with Belonging
Vignettes: Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller, and Malala Yousafzai
Principle: Students invest when they feel seen.
Respect Is Traded, Never Demanded
Vignettes: Maya Angelou and Viktor Frankl
Principle: Respect must be earned through action.
See the Student Before the Standard
Vignettes: Jaime Escalante, Maria Callas
Principle: Human beings before human performance.
Leverage Peer Influence for Learning
Vignettes: Spartan agoge training, KIPP team accountability
Principle: Peers often matter more than teachers.
Praise in Public, Coach in Private
Vignettes: Vince Lombardi, Mother Teresa
Principle: Affirmation spreads; correction requires dignity.
Part IV: The Art of Challenge
Students are most engaged when stretched just beyond comfort.
Engagement Requires Just Enough Friction
Vignettes: Bruce Lee, Lev Vygotsky (zone of proximal development)
Principle: Sweet spot between boredom and frustration.
Make Failure Safe but Not Comfortable
Vignettes: Thomas Edison, Michael Jordan
Principle: Struggle should build resilience, not shame.
Shift the Spotlight from Grades to Growth
Vignettes: Carol Dweck, Eleanor Duckworth
Principle: Progress sustains motivation better than marks.
Gamify the Grind
Vignettes: Benjamin Franklin’s virtue-tracking, Kobe Bryant’s practice competitions
Principle: Repetition becomes play with the right frame.
Surprise Students with What They Can Do
Vignettes: Herb Brooks, Katherine Johnson
Principle: Surprise achievement awakens potential.
Part V: Designing Meaningful Work
Engagement deepens when learning feels relevant and purposeful.
Anchor Every Lesson in Real Life
Vignettes: Paulo Freire, Jane Addams
Principle: Abstraction needs application.
Connect to Passions, Then Expand Horizons
Vignettes: Seymour Papert, Rick Rubin
Principle: Interest is the gateway to engagement.
Make Work Public—An Audience Changes Everything
Vignettes: Elizabeth Peabody (kindergarten pioneer), TED/TED-Ed models
Principle: Authentic audiences raise effort.
Turn Students from Consumers to Creators
Vignettes: Zora Neale Hurston and Frank Lloyd Wright
Principle: Creation cements ownership of learning.
Teach Less, Explore More
Vignettes: George Washington Carver, Sugata Mitra
Principle: Depth beats coverage.
Part VI: The Longevity of Engagement
To sustain engagement, teachers must balance stability and inspiration.
Rituals Create Stability; Variety Creates Energy
Vignettes: Maya Lin, Japanese Lesson Study
Principle: Predictability comforts, novelty excites.
The Teacher’s Spark Ignites the Students’ Flame
Vignettes: Christa McAuliffe, Eddie Robinson
Principle: Energy is contagious; your passion becomes theirs.
A Final Word Before You Check Out The Book
This book is not about perfection. No teacher commands engagement every day. No coach wins every player in the locker room. No mentor sparks every student. But engagement is not about flawless performance, it is about consistent pursuit.
The 27 Principles of Engagement are not rules to follow blindly. They are guides to help you navigate the hardest work in the world: teaching in an age of distraction.
If you carry only one truth into the pages ahead, let it be this: Students will not remember everything you teach, but they will always remember how deeply you made them care.
Thanks as always,
A.J. Juliani
PS - Interested in bringing me in to work with your staff on A.I. with a purpose, Meaningful and Relevant Learning, and Engagement in the Classroom? Learn more on my speaking page or email me at any time!