Test Lessons Debrief [S7 EP. 287]

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What if 100% engagement isn’t about doing more, but about choosing differently?

After two episodes learning directly from the authors of 100% Engagement, talking student buy-in, boredom, rapid-fire strategies, high-energy resets, and what authentic participation really looks like, this is our classroom debrief.

Did you miss part one and part two? Listen to those first!

In parts one and two of the series, we explored everything from quick movement-based challenges to meme projects and poetry puzzles, plus the reminder that engagement isn’t chaos and quiet reading still counts. Now we’re asking: what happens when we actually try these ideas?

In this episode, we reflect on the lessons we pulled straight from the book and put into practice. It’s not compliance. It’s not keeping kids busy. And it’s definitely not performing at the front of the room. Engagement is teach and engage. The two belong together. We share how small shifts, not massive overhauls, changed the energy of our lessons. That meant revisiting Book Snaps and realizing the power was in the conversation. It meant adapting a musical chairs for complex texts strategy into a fast-paced fiction preview that helped students discover new books in minutes.

We talk about what worked, what we tweaked, and how these strategies felt in real classrooms with real kids in February. Because 100% engagement isn’t about hype. It’s about intentional choices that invite students into the work and meet them in the middle.

topics discussed:

  • Engagement vs. compliance (and why “busy” doesn’t equal engaged)

  • Rethinking Book Snaps: from one-and-done assignment to conversation starter

  • Using Book Snaps and book bentos in choice reading and lit circles

  • Adapting “musical chairs” close reading into a high-energy fiction preview

  • Small instructional shifts that increase engagement without rewriting everything

  • Why engagement is part of our professional responsibility, not entertainment

resources:

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More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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