The Clarity Series: Creating Passionate Learners

An award winning teacher, engaging presenter, and best-selling author, Tony Frontier works with teachers and school leaders nationally and internationally to help them prioritize efforts to improve student engagement and student learning. With expertise in student engagement, formative assessment, effective instruction, and strategic planning, Frontier emphasizes a systems approach to build capacity to empower teachers to improve each student's schooling experience. Frontier is co-author of the ASCD books Five Levers to Improve Learning: How to Prioritize for Powerful Results in Your School with Jim Rickabaugh, Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching with Bob Marzano and David Livingston, and the forthcoming Balancing Teacher Evaluation, Supervision, and Reflection with Paul Mielke. Frontier is a frequent contributor to Educational Leadership, and facilitates workshops on school improvement, student engagement, curriculum design, formative assessment, and standards-based instructional practices at international conferences and in schools and districts around the country. Frontier serves as an Assistant Professor of Doctoral Leadership Studies at Cardinal Stritch University, where he teaches courses in curriculum development, organizational learning, research methods, and statistics. Additionally, Frontier serves as a Senior Consultant for Capacity Unlimited. As a former classroom teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, an Associate High School Principal, and the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Whitefish Bay School District, Frontier brings a wealth of experience as a classroom teacher, building administrator, and central office administrator to his workshops, writing, and research. Frontier has been recognized by Marquette University as the Outstanding Young Alumnus for the School of Education, was the recipient of the Jack Keane Outstanding Young Educator Award for the State of Wisconsin, was selected as an ASCD Emerging Leader, is a past member of the ASCD Leadership Council, and past-president of Wisconsin ASCD.

Foreword by Dr. Russell J. Quaglia Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. An Introduction to Creating Passionate Learners The Educational Anachronism Beyond the Next Mandate The Intent of Policies and the Ensuing Debates Assumptions Driving the Current Context An Alternate Premise: A Humanist Approach to Education and Cognitivist Approaches to Learning From Past Practice to Next Practice: New Assumptions for Schools in the 21st Century 2. Committing to Engagement Literacy Test Scores Tell Only Part of the Story In Search of Something More Defining Student Engagement Why Engagement is Important Mistaking Compliance for Engagement A More Nuanced Viewed: Types of Student Engagement Engagement as Malleable: Classrooms and Schools Matter 3. The Power of Mindset Mindset Power of Effort Leveraging Mindset Changing our Mental Models About Mindset to Affect Student Engagement Efficiency for Adults and Effectiveness for Students Making Learner Psychology Relevant Migrating from a Fixed to a Growth Mindset The Implications of Growth Mindset for Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Engagement The Importance of Dispositions Dispositions: Now and in the Future Dispositions Nested in the Framework for Creating Passionate Learners Growth Mindset Dispositions Classroom Strategies for Strengthening Student Dispositions How Growth Mindset Supports Passionate Learners 4. Internal Dialogue: Reengage Learners Using Teacher Feedback Internal Dialogue Use Positive Suppositions to Influence Students' Views of Themselves and Translate to Confidence in the Classroom Develop Students' Internal Dialogue by Using Language Intentionally Efficacy Through Deliberate Language Using Careful Feedback to Aid in Students' Reflection Valuing Student Voice in Feedback Formative Assessment and Formative Feedback Strategies When Students Self-Correct The Implications of Internal Dialogue for Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Engagement Internal Dialogue Dispositions How Internal Dialogue Supports Passionate Learners 5. Self-Determination Self-Determination Theory Differences Between Autonomy Supportive and Controlling Teachers The Implications of Self-Determination for Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Engagement Self-Determination Dispositions Self-Determination Through the Teacher's Eyes How Self-Determination Support Passionate Learners 6. Classroom Culture: Setting the Tone for Engagement Culture Defined A Culture of Purpose and Commitment to Support Cognitive Engagement Cognitive Engagement as a Culture of Learning or a Culture of Performance? Cognitive Engagement as a Culture of Inquiry or a Culture of Right Answers? A Culture of Purpose and Commitment to Support Emotional Engagement Emotional Engagement as a Culture of Judging or a Culture of Understanding? Emotional Engagement as a Culture of Me or We? A Culture of Purpose to Support Behavioral Engagement Behavioral Engagement in a Culture of Compliance or Authenticity? Behavioral Engagement as a Culture of Low Expectations or Expertise? Passion Deflators The Teacher Whisperer Culture Dispositions How Culture Support Passionate Learners 7. High-Leverage Reforms Student Engagement as the Filter for High-Leverage Reform Case Studies: Transactional and Transformational Considerations and Implications in Determining High-Leverage Reform Strategies 8. Leading the Transformation for Creating Passionate Learners Planning for Transformational Change and the System Work of School Leaders Transformational Leadership in Action Influencing a Heightened Leader Commitment to Student Engagement Guiding Leaders' Focus on Student Engagement Appendix: Effort Tracker Resources Index