The Pirate at Annual Conference

Creative Engagement

Hunter Holcombe

As the quiet, note-taking journalist in the room, I didn't expect to find myself addressing the multitude of teachers and educators that filled the chairs and hugged the walls to hear Dave Burgess's impassioned and fully engaging session, "Outrageous Teaching: Creative Ways to Increase Student Engagement."

Nor did I expect to see the presenter dressed as a pirate.

Nevertheless, within the first five minutes, Burgess had stolen away my coffee and dragged me up front to demonstrate one of the many ways he's transformed his classroom into a show that could almost sell tickets.

It was a simple magic trick involving the entire audience, but Burgess had succeeded in drawing 100 percent engagement at the outset—no small feat for 8:00 on a Monday morning. For the next 85 minutes, the audience was amused, shocked, and sometimes made uncomfortable, as Burgess opened his toolbox of methods for transforming dry educational content into a memorable and rewarding experience.

"That was the best session of the conference," I heard multiple people say as we filed out at the end of the session.

Burgess's presentation—and his costume—nailed home the point that by disguising educational lessons in an interactive format, students will remember what they were taught without even trying, and even look forward to the next class.

One of his favorite tricks? The Taboo. If you provoke your students by saying you are going to tell them something controversial, something their parents wouldn't want them to know, something the teacher could get in trouble for if anyone else found out, it equates to instant full engagement. Likewise, bringing a prop hidden in a "mystery bag" builds suspense, and works well to tie a lesson to a memorable, physical object.

Burgess said teachers should "Swim with the Sharks," meaning they should physically be amongst the students as they teach, simply because it disrupts the standard division between the front of the room (teacher area) and the rest of the class (student seating). Students are much more engaged if the teacher is actually within their space.

Another critical point he made is that teachers must somehow tap into passion for their lectures. He said that although most teachers are naturally passionate about certain subjects (history, for example), they won't be for others. In these cases, they must choose something outside the subject they are passionate about (for example, food or sports), and find a way to integrate it into that particular lesson.

In past lectures, some participants have pointed out that although the presenter's ideas might be great for the classroom, they are intimidated by the basic need to be creative in order to craft these lessons. Burgess said that accessing the creative juices needed to come up with these unique, engaging lectures is not a gift only bestowed on "naturally" creative people. Rather, it is a product of hard work, and always asking yourself and others questions about how to make a lesson more engaging. Ask enough questions, he said, and eventually the ideas will start flowing.

Find more of Burgess's examples and ideas for engaging classrooms at his website.