Is 100% Student Engagement Possible? You Bet It Is

“The Voting Chips” (originally published here on GettingSmart on 5.1.2017)

As I understand it, everything we humans do represents a vote of confidence and faith or a vote of insecurity and trepidation. I mean, everything is an investment, right? Whether it's trying out for a team, earning a degree, buying a vehicle, inking a 30-year mortgage, or saying "I do" (GULP!) to a soulmate, we must learn to give it our all and move forward with courage and boldness. Of course, doing so demands the following: fully understanding the situation, assessing the options, eliminating any distractions and inessentials, determining the most accurate and beneficial solution and accepting the results with complete mindfulness and understanding of all that is invested and all that may be affected. Yep! In a nutshell, that is life. However, it also happens to apply to today's classrooms and students' learning. In fact, if you were to ask me, "Hey, you bald-headed, teaching version of a Mr. Clean, is it possible to teach these concepts with 100% student engagement for five days straight?" My knee-jerk response would be, "You bet it is!" To be perfectly honest, I would say it with 100% confidence and faith due to the engagement that I know comes with rocking the class with the "Voting Chips Interactive Learning Structure" from Studio 113. First, check out the Voting Chips yourself. Then decide if you're all in.

Students' Excitement and Engagement

The Voting Chips Video Tutorial

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Additional / Optional Resources

• Setup and Resources Slideshow
• Teacher's Directions
• Teacher's Scoring Spreadsheet
• Student's Preliminary Worksheet or Scoring Spreadsheet

Want to rock it out with more interactive learning structures from Studio 113? Try these ten:

• The Trifecta: A Triple-Threat Interactive Learning Structure
• The Front Porch: A Rockin' Interactive Learning Structure
• The Square
• Hours of Detail=90 Seconds of Glory
• The Hook
• The Wax Museum (from 2012; Click here for the 2016 version from the first day of school.)
• Slow Jam the Poem: A Jimmy Fallon Inspired Lesson
• The Literary Revolver
• 22 Power Cards and a Revolutionary Battle
• The Perimeter, the Players, and the Offering

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