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EDrenaline Rush: Game-changing Student Engagement Inspired by Theme Parks, Mud Runs, and Escape Rooms
Just imagine what your classroom would be like if the activities inside elicited the same sense of fun and exhilaration as a roller coaster! How much more engaged would your students be if your curriculum were filled with the same mystery and mastery they found in an escape room full of puzzles and surprising twists?
School should be fun! In EDrenaline Rush, John Meehan pulls back the curtain on what it takes to create thrilling learning experiences in your classroom. Packed with lesson planning tips, instructional design ideas, and plug-and-play teaching resources, EDrenaline Rush will challenge you to think differently and equip you to push your pedagogy to incredible limits.
“Packed with practical tips and great writing that will have you coming back for more of his dynamic, rigorous approach to classroom teaching.”— Alexis Wiggins , teacher and author of The Best Class You Never Taught
“This is a must-buy and should be a must-implement for anyone who wants to create positive change in their schools.”— Michael Matera , teacher and author of eXPlore Like a Pirate “Every classroom can be filled with ‘student-centered edrenaline,’ and after reading EDrenaline Rush you will be motivated to make it happen.”— Scott Rocco, EdD , Hamilton Township (NJ) School District Superintendent and co-author of 140 Twitter Tips for Educators and Hacking Google for Education
“EDrenaline Rush is the ultimate surprise and delight!”— Monica Cornetti , CEO of Sententia Gamification, GamiCon Gamemaster
School should be fun! In EDrenaline Rush, John Meehan pulls back the curtain on what it takes to create thrilling learning experiences in your classroom. Packed with lesson planning tips, instructional design ideas, and plug-and-play teaching resources, EDrenaline Rush will challenge you to think differently and equip you to push your pedagogy to incredible limits.
“Packed with practical tips and great writing that will have you coming back for more of his dynamic, rigorous approach to classroom teaching.”— Alexis Wiggins , teacher and author of The Best Class You Never Taught
“This is a must-buy and should be a must-implement for anyone who wants to create positive change in their schools.”— Michael Matera , teacher and author of eXPlore Like a Pirate “Every classroom can be filled with ‘student-centered edrenaline,’ and after reading EDrenaline Rush you will be motivated to make it happen.”— Scott Rocco, EdD , Hamilton Township (NJ) School District Superintendent and co-author of 140 Twitter Tips for Educators and Hacking Google for Education
“EDrenaline Rush is the ultimate surprise and delight!”— Monica Cornetti , CEO of Sententia Gamification, GamiCon Gamemaster
260 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2019
54 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 22, 2019
I started following John on Twitter in September 2018, intrigued by this teacher who was “gamifying” his high school English classroom. I had never been impressed with what i had seen before when people discussed gamifying their classes, but he had something new. This was some solid, well-planned stuff. It was creative, energetic, and MADE SO MUCH SENSE. On Twitter, John’s classroom came to life as he showed us not just his plans but how they looked in action.
I’ve waited months for this, tweaking John’s graciously shared work a few times but only starting to imagine how I could apply his approach in a larger level. I had the privilege to meet and work with him at a conference in early June 2019 and was so impressed by the strong pedagogical underpinnings to his work. He is the real deal - his stuff looks good, but it’s not all glitz and glamour: it’s supported by thoughtful, good teaching design.
This book is tremendous, offering both inspiration and practical ideas. Whether you want to gamify or not, John’s approach to student engagement is a MUST for all teachers to see.
I’ve waited months for this, tweaking John’s graciously shared work a few times but only starting to imagine how I could apply his approach in a larger level. I had the privilege to meet and work with him at a conference in early June 2019 and was so impressed by the strong pedagogical underpinnings to his work. He is the real deal - his stuff looks good, but it’s not all glitz and glamour: it’s supported by thoughtful, good teaching design.
This book is tremendous, offering both inspiration and practical ideas. Whether you want to gamify or not, John’s approach to student engagement is a MUST for all teachers to see.
July 20, 2019
EDrenaline Rush: Game-Changing Student Engagement Inspired by Theme Parks, Mud Runs, and Escape Rooms by John Meehan took me on an unforgettable, fast-paced, adventure-filled ride from start to finish. While reading, I found myself saying, "This is my favorite chapter...there are so many awesome ideas here!!" Then, I'd take a minute or two on each of the reflection questions listed at the end of each chapter, jot down some notes, add some stickies, and move on to the next chapter (only to say those exact words again pages later). Every single chapter was seriously my favorite chapter! I felt like I won a front-row, VIP, first-class ticket to a sold-out event. No joke. Is this Meehan guy serious?!? Does he really share his secrets to classroom success? Yes! Does he explain how I, too, can help my students reach new levels of success? Yessss! Does he offer tips, strategies, techniques, and resources to help me get started on the road to transformation? Yup! Soooo many of them!! From page one, Meehan invites you in and encourages you to explore his world, while learning alongside him, his students, his colleagues, and his family. It doesn't matter if you are a Kindergarten teacher at a 1:1 school and have a room full of eager-to-learn, wide-eyed five-year-olds or if you teach high school math in a Title I district with only one classroom computer...this book is for you!
EDrenaline Rush is broken down into three parts: Theme Parks, Mud Runs, and Escape Rooms. Each part has three chapters, making a total of nine, and each chapter includes three sets of reflection questions, which help move your thinking and jump-start your planning. Not only does Meehan give ideas and examples of activities to help you visualize the impossible, but he also gives you the tools to help make it happen...real-life resources and explanations to help you create an amazing world of exploration, wonder, mystery, discovery, collaboration, and engagement for your learners. Along the way, he shares his own inspiring stories and personal experiences of how he steps out of his comfort zone, as well as some incredibly motivating results. Flawlessly, Meehan makes connections between his own personal passions (and results) to teaching practices (and learning) in the classroom. By using what he knows and loves, he is able to create exciting learning experiences for his students that produce results similar to those in his own life, such as growth mindset, self-improvement, overcoming obstacles, accomplishment, and pride. Oh yeah, and TONS of teamwork and fun!!
Without hesitation, I give EDrenaline Rush: Game-Changing Student Engagement Inspired by Theme Parks, Mud Runs, and Escape Rooms by John Meehan 5 out of 5 stars. In addition to recommending this book to those in the education field, I think business leaders and those looking to make positive changes in the workplace community and culture will also find this to be quite beneficial. Meehan's words motivate and inspire. He teaches you to believe in yourself and others. He lets you know you are not alone on this journey; we are a team, and to get better, we need our teammates, our tribe. He encourages you to step out of your comfort zone, so that you can begin to create an environment that dreams are made of. He offers tools and support to help you on your journey. He gives you what you need to get the results you want. He shows you how to make the impossible...possible. Hands down, John Meehan's the real deal.
Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. :-)
EDrenaline Rush is broken down into three parts: Theme Parks, Mud Runs, and Escape Rooms. Each part has three chapters, making a total of nine, and each chapter includes three sets of reflection questions, which help move your thinking and jump-start your planning. Not only does Meehan give ideas and examples of activities to help you visualize the impossible, but he also gives you the tools to help make it happen...real-life resources and explanations to help you create an amazing world of exploration, wonder, mystery, discovery, collaboration, and engagement for your learners. Along the way, he shares his own inspiring stories and personal experiences of how he steps out of his comfort zone, as well as some incredibly motivating results. Flawlessly, Meehan makes connections between his own personal passions (and results) to teaching practices (and learning) in the classroom. By using what he knows and loves, he is able to create exciting learning experiences for his students that produce results similar to those in his own life, such as growth mindset, self-improvement, overcoming obstacles, accomplishment, and pride. Oh yeah, and TONS of teamwork and fun!!
Without hesitation, I give EDrenaline Rush: Game-Changing Student Engagement Inspired by Theme Parks, Mud Runs, and Escape Rooms by John Meehan 5 out of 5 stars. In addition to recommending this book to those in the education field, I think business leaders and those looking to make positive changes in the workplace community and culture will also find this to be quite beneficial. Meehan's words motivate and inspire. He teaches you to believe in yourself and others. He lets you know you are not alone on this journey; we are a team, and to get better, we need our teammates, our tribe. He encourages you to step out of your comfort zone, so that you can begin to create an environment that dreams are made of. He offers tools and support to help you on your journey. He gives you what you need to get the results you want. He shows you how to make the impossible...possible. Hands down, John Meehan's the real deal.
Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. :-)
June 21, 2019
This book is a perfect distillation of all the crazy ideas I’ve seen from John Meehan (@MeehanEDU) since he first showed up in my Twitter feed. If you’re looking for fun, creative ways to get your students engaged, you’ll find them here in spades. So many of John’s ideas have already inspired me to change how I approach learning in my classroom, and this book is a fantastic resource I know I’ll be coming back to time and time again.
June 28, 2019
This is an excellent book for any educator. It is packed with high energy ideas. Not only did I get ideas, but I saw an opportunity for a new mindset full of energy! I will be able to use this as a resource and come back to so many of the activities, games and resources. And the author is incredibly helpful and willing to connect.
July 12, 2019
This is a life-changing book written by a REAL teacher ( someone who is really special and who I would love my children to have had as a teacher.....or I had as a teacher). I read the book with a highlighter and a pen taking notes, then trying the ideas out in the classroom. I would highly recommend the book.
June 29, 2019
Wow! Amazing! If you are looking to up the engagement of your classroom with clear and exciting ideas developed from games, read this book. John Meehan is willing to share his ideas and help anyone on the way to engage his/her students.
July 5, 2019
I started following the author on Twitter and used his Egg Dash Challenge with my first graders—what a success! In this book he not only walks you through the gamification of your classroom, but the amazing effects of what it can do for the students.
August 21, 2019
Teachers, Get In The Game!!!
This book will challenge every teacher to think how they can restructure their lessons!! I love how there are specific examples throughout the book of HOW to implement different activities and what you need to put them in place TOMORROW!
This book will challenge every teacher to think how they can restructure their lessons!! I love how there are specific examples throughout the book of HOW to implement different activities and what you need to put them in place TOMORROW!
February 19, 2020
So many great ideas
This is just what I’ve been looking for to help improve my classroom instruction. There are so many ideas in here that I can’t wait to get started. It’s engaging and thought-provoking. A must-read for any educators wanting to increase their student engagement.
This is just what I’ve been looking for to help improve my classroom instruction. There are so many ideas in here that I can’t wait to get started. It’s engaging and thought-provoking. A must-read for any educators wanting to increase their student engagement.
August 22, 2024
I liked this book. Got me excited for the upcoming school year and I can’t wait to try some of the stuff he suggested. I felt like a lot of the ideas he had though were more applicable to an ELA classroom.
May 20, 2025
Does what it claims to do. Inspires teachers to consider how to inject more energy into meaningful learning. A good range of ideas from non-tech to full out tech. But mostly, it’s just about thinking how we involve students in being better and deeper learners.
July 16, 2019
Great read
I'm excited to plan my first units with John's book in mind. He offers great tools and strategies to motivate learners.
I'm excited to plan my first units with John's book in mind. He offers great tools and strategies to motivate learners.
January 11, 2020
Some fantastic ideas in here especially if you are high school teaching. Well worth a look and lots of further reading suggestions also.
April 19, 2020
So many great ideas and tips in this book to increase engagement and foster deeper and more autonomous learning!
August 25, 2020
A blast of a read, packed with so many ideas. The gamification does not take over learning, and that is a big big plus for me!
June 21, 2021
Lots of great ideas and examples. Definitely a valuable read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews