Tuned In and Fired Up: How Teaching Can Inspire Real Learning in the Classroom

By Sam M. Intrator

Book Overview

Every teacher has powerful memories of becoming swept up in an electric moment when the classroom hums with energy and students are wholly engaged in learning. During such moments of real learning, teenagers find genuine meaning, worth, and value in their academic experiences. And their teachers find in these heightened and exuberant moments the embodiment of their best hopes and ideals as educators. How can such "teachable moments" be encouraged? What can teachers do to inspire more of these educationally vital episodes? In this compelling book, Sam M. Intrator scrutinizes powerful learning moments in a high school classroom. He offers five detailed portraits of these experiences, describing in each case how the teacher shaped the culture of the class, made critical pedagogical decisions, and connected students to the subject matter. Intrator confirms that seemingly magical learning moments can be cultivated, and he suggests numerous practical ideas to help teachers do so.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300107668
• ISBN13: 9780300107661
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Instant Inspiration

I am about to begin my first year teaching high school art, and this book has sparked more excitement for the career I have chosen than any other. I expect to return to it again and again when I need a pick-me-up during my upcoming "difficult first year" of teaching - it makes me feel LUCKY to be able to be in the field of education. Any teacher, novice or experienced, would find inspiration in this wonderfully easy to read and engaging book on meaningful teaching.

True Insight Into the Classroom and "Real Learning"

A wonderful book for teachers and those preparing to become teachers. Intrator clearly understands the complex and vital world of the classroom, and shares it with his readers as well as anyone writing today. With clear and compelling prose, *Tuned In and Fired Up* lets the classroom have the center stage; Intrator's deeply thoughtful commentary weaves in theory and research, but never lets it overshadow the portrait of "real learning" he presents. This book is beautifully written, and offers tremendous insight and encouragement to anyone interested in teaching and schools.