Teaching Content Outrageously - by Stanley Pogrow (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A powerful instructional method for "hooking" students on academic learning

Drawing from a teaching model designed to banish boredom and student apathy, this book explains how dramatic practices can serve as powerful tools for enlivening lessons and captivating students, even the most resistant learners. Filled with intriguing classroom examples, Pogrow shows how any teacher can make use of dramatic techniques, such as surprise, humor, fantasy, role plays, games, and simulations to create standards-based content lessons that are riveting, effective, and meaningful. The author explains how to design such lessons into any content area.

Stanley Pogrow (San Francisco, CA), a noted authority on teaching practices for disadvantaged students, is professor of educational leadership at San Francisco State University, where he coordinates the Educational Leadership for Equity Program.

From the Back Cover

For teachers who struggle to connect with students who seem restless, bored, and indifferent, Teaching Content Outrageously offers the perfect antidote. In this book, Stanley Pogrow shows teachers how to transform standards-based content lessons into dynamic and "outrageous" learning experiences that leave students so enthralled and fascinated they readily meet the learning goals. Drawing from a model successfully used with underperforming students, the author introduces the "Outrageous Teaching" method showing how teachers can integrate humor, surprise, imagination, character, and dramatic storyline to create lessons that are riveting, effective, and meaningful. The book includes:

• Detailed guidance on implementing the method in any content area in grades 4-12
• Vivid classroom portraits of teachers making use of the method to teach math, science, language arts, and social studies lessons
• Advice on applying the techniques to improvediscipline and classroom management

The author reveals how all teachers can tap into their own imagination and creativity to construct lessons and units that are mesmerizing and that efficiently increase student performance on content.

Praise for Teaching Content Outrageously

"Pogrow's new book is a must-read for teachers seeking to find new ways to engage and successfully teach their students who would otherwise be left behind. The combination of cognitive science, humor, insight, techniques, and examples will make you laugh, inspire you, and give you the practical tools to create imaginative and original ways to teach key content objectives."
--Dr. Pedro Portes, director, Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education, andprofessor of education, University of Georgia

"Is holding students' attention becoming more and more difficult? Let Stanley Pogrow show you how dramatization and humor can help you teach any content far more effectively to a wary classroom audience."
--Carol Jago, teacher, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, CA

"Dr. Pogrow gives priceless solutions and clear methods that work for making teaching and learning more fun and effective in today's classrooms. This is the one book that should be read by all those who want to make a difference by captivating, inspiring, and empowering all learners."
--Dalia Johnson, science and Spanish teacher, middle school director, ¿ MS 188, New York CityPublic Schools

About the Author

Stanley Pogrow, Ph.D., is professor of Educational Leadership at¿San Francisco State University. He is best known for developing the HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) Program for accelerating the learning of underperforming Title I (economically disadvantaged) and special education students.