Teach Like a Pirate: Ask and Analyze

Welcome to Teach Like a Pirate.  A book study on the book by Dave Burgess.  This section, Ask and Analyze Questions, is all about how to use questioning to steer yourself as you plan and to engage students as you teach.  

Each week as we're studying this book, there's a twitter chat on the chapters that are the focus of the week. Last Monday, we chatted about this section.  You can join us with the #tlap2014sbs tag on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week.  Usually around 9:00 Central Time, but check twitter for exact time as each host chooses the time that works for their schedule.  During our chat on this section, these are the questions I asked:

• What was your reaction to those six words: "It's easy for you, you're creative."
• What questions do you ask yourself as you sit down to plan to help you include creativity?
• Where/how do you record your ideas? You know the ones that come to you in the shower and dissppear when you're drying off.
• How do you reflect on and improve your lessons/teaching?
• How do you incorporate your interests/hobbies into your teaching?

The second question is the most difficult for me.  I'm going to start asking questions like: 

• How can I incorporate any of the "the arts" into this lesson? 
• How can I incorporate technology that will enhance the lesson and engage students? 
• What is the best place for this lesson? 
• What question or problem can I pose to students that will get them conversing on topic to come to an answer or solution?

These questions will help me find more creative ways to excite and engage my students in the lessons I plan.  

In addition to asking these questions as I plan to incorporate Genius Hour in my classroom this year.  This is a way to allow students to explore and learn about their own passions.  What better way to engage and excite student than to let them choose a topic to learn more about or an area in which they want to improve.  You can get some information about how to implement this in your own classroom here. 

There's so much I want to do this next year, I'm working on letting some things go so that better things can be let in.  Head on over to

to get her thoughts on the Transformation section.

(Actually, head here to get the rest of this weeks insights.)

Share your thoughts.  I'd love to hear your reactions and thoughts in the comments of this post or link up with us.  Please consider joining us on twitter as well. #tlap2014sbs.

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