Sandra Eaton - "Teach Like A Pirate"

The text I chose was not written with an emphasis towards helping first year teachers specifically. In fact, at times it seems as though it is really geared towards teachers who are struggling or approaching burn out after many years. However, the title and front cover caught my eye and the back cover description caught my interest. I found the material inside to be most definitely applicable to first year teaching. It is called Teach Like A PIRATE: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity and Transform Your Life as an Educator by Dave Burgess. The ‘big idea’ that the author presents throughout the book is that any teacher is capable of creating a highly engaging classroom experience and that this should be what teachers strive for.

Part I

The author uses a pirate as both a metaphor and an acronym. He describes pirates as “daring, adventurous, and willing to set forth into uncharted territories” (p. xii). He goes on for an entire paragraph with an in depth description. He then makes a claim that this is the type of spirit that is needed in the education field. The acronym PIRATE stands for: Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask and Analyze, Transformation and Enthusiasm. Burgess devotes one chapter to each of these topics.

Passion: According to the author there are three types of passion. They are content passion, professional passion and personal passion. The author believes that the most successful teachers will know what their passion is in each of these areas and use that to their advantage. He closes the chapter saying “Passion is like an intoxicating drug but without the dangers and side effects… Once you get a taste of it, you’ll always want to come back for more” (p. 10).

Immersion: In this section Burgess suggests that a teacher must be immersed in the classroom experience. He discusses the fact that students are well aware when a teacher is not fully present or has something else on his or her mind. When students become aware of this it is much easier for them to tap out themselves.

Rapport: This chapter is all about the classroom community and safe environment that the author deems a requirement for student engagement. He describes his first three days of classes in detail. Additionally he discusses the importance of getting to know students personally, learning what they are interested outside of curricular material.

Ask and Analyze: Many teachers say they cannot be as engaging because they lack creativity but Burgess argues that this is not true. He describes creativity as a process of asking questions. He also discusses the fact that failure must not be seen as failure, but instead as feedback to be improved upon next time. This will eliminate the fear of attempting to be creative that many have.

Transformation: This chapter discussing transforming the classroom from the typical boring and mundane to the exciting and engaging. The author gives two questions to be considered to “raise the bar” (p. 58). They are “If your students didn’t have to be there, would you be teaching in an empty room” (p. 58) and “Do you have any lessons you could sell tickets for?” (p.59). The main idea is that the classroom should be transformed into a place where students truly want to be, not just a place where they have to be.

Enthusiasm: The author emphasizes the importance of enthusiasm stating that “if you apply nothing else from this book, but you consistently ramp up your enthusiasm level in the classroom, you will be far ahead of the game and a dramatically better teacher” (p. 65). He suggests that if you are not feeling particularly enthusiastic, then just acting like you are will improve the experience.

Part II

The author then spends 66 pages giving examples and ideas of how to create engaging lessons. He provides a venn diagram with three areas that he believes need to be balanced in order to have a successfully engaging lesson: content, technique/method and presentation. His focus is on presentation because he believes that is the one that is often missed or forgotten. This is where the author provides a wonderful resource for his readers. He provides a series of “hook” ideas in the form of questions that you can ask yourself. Below is just one example, among many, from each of his seven sections.

“I Like To Move It, Move It”

The Safari Hook (p. 92)

·         How can I get my class outside my four walls for this lesson?

·         Where would be the best place(s) on campus to deliver this content?

·         Is there an area of the school that serves as the perfect backdrop?

·         Can I plant key items outside for us to “discover”?

·         Can we leave campus to go to the ultimate location to teach this material?

“Long Live The Arts”

                The Craft Store Hook (p. 100)

·         How can I incorporate a craft into this lesson?

·         What can my students make that relates to this material?

·         Is there an origami fold that I can teach to the class for this content?

·         Can I provide some basic supplies such as craft sticks, pipe cleaners, and duct tape, give them an open-ended creative project and turn them loose?

·         Could there be craft skills my students already possess that could enhance my curriculum and simultaneously allow them the chance to be an expert for a day?

“What’s In It For Me?

                The Real-World Application Hook (p. 104)

·         How can I show my students why learning this content is important in the real world?

·         How will they possibly apply this in their life?

·         Can we increase motivation and engagement by offering reasons to learn that go beyond “because it’s on the test?”

·         Can they create something “real” that will be more than a classroom project but actually allow them to interact with the world in an authentic way?

“All The World Is A Stage”

                The Costume Hook (p. 111)

·         What can I wear as an outfit or costume for this lesson?

·         Is there an existing character that I can impersonate?

·         Can I create a character that is relevant to this lesson?

·         Can I invent a superhero or super villain for this subject?

·         What accessory (something as small as a hat or glasses) can I wear to enhance my presentation?

“Stand And Deliver”

                The Taboo Hook (p. 120)

·         How can I use the fact that students are fascinated by that which is taboo and forbidden?

·         How can I position my topic so that it seems like a little-known secret?

·         How can I take advantage of the fact that students (and adults!) are intrigued by things they aren’t supposed to hear?

·         Can I position my topic as if it is illicit, even though it isn’t?

“Advanced Tactics”

                The Reality TV Hook (p. 126)

·         How can I design my lesson to take advantage of the popularity of reality TV?

·         Can I create a Survivor-style challenge and divide the class into tribes?

·         Can this be configured as an Amazing Race partner lesson?

·         How can I incorporate a Fear Factor type of challenge?

“Around The Edges”

                The Chef Hook (p. 135)

·         How can I enhance this lesson by adding food or drinks?

·         Can I cook something for the class?

·         What type of food would be a perfect match for this lesson?

·         How can I use food or drinks to demonstrate a point, serve as an incentive, or just help create a positive atmosphere for a special lesson?

Part III

In this part the author wraps up by discussing the importance of getting past the most difficult part – starting. He describes in detail five of the most common reasons that people do not start things. The number one reason he determines to be “the fear of failure” (p. 154). I found this section of the text to be very similar to the speech by J.K. Rowling that we watched for our Psychology of Learning course. He closes off finally by discussing collaboration and the value of sharing ideas with colleagues. Burgess leaves his e-mail address and blog address for readers to be in contact with him should they so choose. This was a nice touch, a true implementation of the values he had just written about!

Critique

I found this book to be very valuable. I would highly recommend it to any teacher (I already have my brother, who is a teacher, reading it!). The classroom experience Burgess describes is exactly how I would picture my ideal classroom experience. I think it is great how the author transitions back and forth from pedagogical ideas and anecdotal stories. It really makes reading the book engaging, adding validity to the content of it. I was actually able to read the entire book in two days because I did not want to put it down! There are many ideas given throughout the book but the author is not pushy about his ideas being absolutely correct or the only way, which is another appealing aspect. I love the resource of all the “hook” idea questions. They are extremely usable by anyone and can be adapted, added to or ignored as needed. One negative I would point out (negative for me anyways) is that it is written by a senior years teacher. This caused all of the examples to take place in senior years classrooms. Many of the ideas, especially those in the PIRATE acronym, are still applicable at the early years level but there are parts that are irrelevant at that level.

Overall I found this book to be truly inspiring and I sincerely hope that many teachers work hard at creating engaging classrooms like those described. If classrooms were places where children wanted to be and if learning was desirable to our students then it would make our jobs as teachers much more enjoyable. We could spend more time actually doing activities and working with content and less time babysitting or trying to force-feed knowledge.

Burgess, D. (2012). Teach Like A PIRATE: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity and Transform Your Life as an Educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting Inc.