Teach Like a PIRATE. Dave Burgess

this is what some of them are thinking. It is our job as teachers to address the unspoken thoughts rattling around in the minds of our students. The earlier we do it, the better.

      My goal is to completely smash any idea my students might have about my class being more of the same for them. I will pull out all the stops to convince them it doesn’t matter if they have failed before because my class is absolutely and completely different. My class has been specially designed for them to be successful. It is based on the latest brain research and incorporates incredible mnemonics designed to help them easily learn and retain more content in less time. I explain to them how the brain works and how a positive learning environment is critical for higher-order thinking to take place.

      I talk to them about learning styles. I spend a great deal of time discussing Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. I give them compelling examples of how school systems have consistently neglected and undervalued many of these types of intelligences because they are not on “the test.” I show how special gifts and talents, like artistic and musical creativity, should be equally valued in school. I talk to the athletes and dancers about kinesthetic intelligence. I give examples of how people with interpersonal intelligence might find themselves in trouble in school but have incredible opportunities for success in the “real world.”