Total Participation Techniques

One major focus area in Orleans Central Supervisory Union (OCSU) is student engagement. During the last two years over 40 teachers and administrators have read and discussed the book Total Participation Techniques by Himmele and Himmele. Administrators and teacher leaders have modeled total participation techniques (TPTs) in meetings with colleagues, teachers have created TPT folders to use with students, and learners across OCSU are participating more actively in their own learning.
 
What does engagement look like in the OCSU environment?

• Kindergartners turning and talking about things they notice and wonder during a read-aloud.
• Second-graders holding up mini-boards with their responses during a Eureka math lesson.
• Fifth graders recording their thinking on a whiteboard or large piece of chart paper and then moving around the classroom to analyze their peers’ recordings and to look for similarities and differences (chalkboard splash).
• Middle school students working in pairs with their 9:00 partners (appointment agenda).
• High school students participating in a review of content using the three 3’s in a row strategy.
• Administrators moving around in an inside/outside circle activity to share about how they are supporting teachers in implementing formative assessment strategies.

 
In last year’s TPT class, Michelle Bonneau (Brownington School) created a Buncee presentation that describes the TPTs noted above as well as others from the Himmele and Himmele text. You can view Michelle’s Buncee here: https://app.edu.buncee.com/buncee/02dd97c6fb074c6f967a3b2087b2604a
 
How are you engaging students in your classroom? Post a comment below to share your ideas!