Thanks to Krista Ritchie for inviting me to speak with your BEd. class. It was fun to look at how I use emotion to increase engagement in the class. I had never really thought about it before. Using the bell for suspense, creating arguments related to the content, telling stories.

I have a new one to add. Two of my students are putting together an electric guitar as part of the circuits portion of the physics 12 class. The students thought I had a guitar in pieces and needed them together. The reality is that at 8 am, the guitar was in perfect working condition and by 8:20 it was completely in pieces with individual wires removed etc… This showed my confidence in them. I was willing to destroy something knowing that it would get fixed.

Then I told them that it was my son’s guitar (true). I told the girls who were putting it together that my twin sons were preparing for the end of school year variety show and that they were getting ready to sing publicly to a couple of girls. Just to add to the ambiance, I played the song on repeat. The perception is that the future of middle school romance depends on the re-assembly of the guitar. They are working hard. This tactic would probably not work with a group of guys.

Thanks for making me think Krista and class!!