Engagement by Design: Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive

by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Russell J. Quaglia

Engaging Students for Success Through Purposeful Design

Every teacher wants engaged students. No student wants to be bored. So why isn’t every classroom teeming with discussion and activity centered on the day’s learning expectations? 

Engagement by Design gives you a framework for making daily improvements in engaging your students, highlighting opportunities that offer the greatest benefit in the least amount of time. You’ll learn how focusing on relationships, clarity, and challenge can make all the difference in forging a real connection with students. 

Engagement by Design puts you in control of managing your classroom’s success and increasing student learning, one motivated student at a time.
 

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 22, 2017

About the author

Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., is an educator and Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College.

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Reviews

[David Doty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long admired the work of Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, and this may be their most important contribution yet. Synthesizing current research on both behavioral and intellectual (cognitive) engagement, together with compelling data on how students perceive school, Fisher and Frey show the reader how to design engaging classrooms by paying attention to the intersection of teacher, student, and content.

The book contains excellent chapters, with many practical strategies, on building teacher-student relationships, improving teacher clarity, and ensuring challenge in tasks and assignments.

I loved the authors' conclusion: "Engagement is about creating an environment in which all students thrive. . . . Dreaming about tomorrow must be in balance with taking action today. Absent that engagement, we are simply in a state of imagination."

[Madeleine Vest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this really helpful and encouraging. Some books geared towards educators really overwhelm me and make me feel like I'll never be able to be the teacher these books talk about, but I felt like this book gave me more concrete strategies I can actually start implementing in my classroom right now.

[Pam Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great videos to accompany great research based information and strategies about engagement and learning. Many of my current practices were validated, but new ideas and insights gave me things to think about and incorporate into my classroom. I am excited for school to start and for our faculty to discuss and implement these ideas and strategies.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me too. I read it last year when I heard Nancy Frey at a conference, and it changed a lot of the way I try to do things in my classroom. The book has great ideas for all education levels. It made me realize there's a lot more to engagement than simply designing a fun activity in class. There are things that need to come before the activity is even planned. I'm still working on tying all of that together.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can you tell I am working on a presentation on engagement? There are a lot of books on engagement out there. This one has a nice graphic on balanced engagement, and nice discussion of the differences between emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement. So I guess 3.5

[Kim G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and so simple—finally a book that uses research to back up what good teachers know is essential but that sometimes gets lost in all the accountability and standards.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the format of this book: text with sidebars including relevant stats and QR codes to video examples. The first chapter about the inviting classroom with the four types of teachers was very interesting. We need to foster relationships with students; everything else is predicated on that. So many PD trainings share this message over and over again, and this book shows how building relationships with students impacts ALL aspects of their learning.

Much of this book repeats what others have said (which came first the chicken or the egg?), but it's helpful to have one book that provides all of this information. This is a good introductory read on a variety of topics. It's like the Goldilocks theory - not too much and not too little, just right to start us on our journey. Readers may choose to further investigate books that focus on just one of the topics if they wish. For example, there is a section on the language we use with students; a reader may be compelled to read Mike Anderson's What We Say and How We Say It Matter. Another section on feedback may lead readers to Susan Brookhart's books, and the information concerning building students' growth mindset and teaching students to create their own questions could lead readers to Duckworth's work and Rothstein's book respectively.

This book is not all theory; it's very practical with many examples. It would be a great all-school read.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in concert with several other PD books, including Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion 2.0. While this is more theory-and-execution and Lemov has more in the way of strategies (backed by evidence and theory), it was useful - just not as useful as the other books I’ve been reading . Reading it alongside a number of other books made this work well, but also did not provide anything groundbreaking.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s so good to read a pedagogical book that is not a big abstract pile of data, a book that provides practical examples, concise clarity, and has indisputable concepts that provide premise for simple-enough changes we can make with our instruction. As a librarian, I especially appreciate the emphasis on student choice and variety for reading.

[Richard Stange · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I read this book prior to student-teaching. I am a book learner. I learn a great deal from books. This text has illuminated for me just what it looks like to cultivate relationships with students in so many different ways.

“When students have a voice in school, they are seven times more likely to be academically motivated” (12).

[Ms. Ritko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book by Fisher and Frey that I've ever read. I joined a 6 part book study with other educators around the world and it was one of the best book club experiences ever! It was thought provoking and engaging!

[Angie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty similar to other books I have read about teacher efficacy, student engagement, and deeper learning. It was a very simple read but did not have much in that I was not already aware of. If you are new to this field, then this is a good book to start with.

[Darren White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very straightforward and practical. Material was organized well. If you're looking for a place to start to build engagement, this is a good resource.

[Nikki Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! My copy has tabs and sticky notes all throughout. This will be a go to reference for me.

[Ashley Haug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this if you teach!

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and explained. Imminently usable with a strong research base. Highly recommend for any educator.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book paired well with our Responsive Classroom work. Not enough new info to warrant the cost.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing new or profound here. Same ideas teachers have been told for years: get to know your students, be passionate, give a sh*t.

[Kesha Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fisher and Frey are amazing in the education world and this book is a great example of that.

[Christy George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly validating of my current classroom practices but also has great research-based ideas I can use in the future.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Douglas Fisher's works. We are currently doing a lot of "visible learning training' and professional development in our buildings. This book has good insight, but is still a little flawed. For instance, many of the statistics and quotes come from middle or elementary students instead of high schools. A lot of the conversation in this book seems like (to me) common sense rather than ground-breaking information. Still good though; I would recommend to those new to the profession.