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The most exciting part of my day was seeing electric energy in action. We saw Ron at the opening symposium but imagine having 100s of kids walking, jumping, skipping, breathing and drinking in the magic. I want some. I kept thinking, “Is this real or are they faking it?” Yes, it is real, and Ron and his staff shared their magic. Even when you're tired and want to throw in the towel . . . faking it at times, if you must, until it becomes real . . . teaching the kids to own it, building supports on many layers with structures from consequences and having high expectations and a positive attitude are foundational parts of the magic.
Many APS educators already use the strategy call and response. It is used as a learning tool to call attention, transition activities, and energize students. Ron Clark gave us call and response ideas, as did many other Ron Clark Academy (RCA) teachers. When using call and response it is important to use correct pause, set the expectation of student participation and consistently reinforce call and response with high expectations every day.
Mrs. Bearden, co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy and RCA teacher, has many ideas on how to transform classrooms in order to engage students. Your classroom can become an operating room, a café, the Aurora Borealis, or a snow scape with minimal money, a little creativity and effort. We, as educators, need to get excited about teaching and share that excitement with students in order to inspire them and make student engagement a priority.
Once you rock it out, others will join and the kids will benefit!
-Lori Hale
