Welcome to the third post in a series focusing on the methodology Dave Burgess lays out in his book, Teach Like a Pirate. 

Day three, according to Burgess, is absolutely critical. It is a day where you can get the reluctant learners on board. It is the day where you can sell your program and your class to the students. This is the day where you can engage students who have had a negative view towards school and their own abilities. It is a turning point.

Day three consists of a massive, high-energy, frentic sales pitch designed to convince my students that my class is completely different from anything they have experienced in school. Most importantly, I work to sell them on the fact that they can , and absolutely will, be successful. 

He doesn’t get very specific as to how he sells his program. He mentions multiple intelligences, differentiated instruction, and the importance of having a growth mindset. The rest of this day probably focuses on the specific things you want to have in your own program, your subject area, and the age group you teach.

This is something I have never done in my own teaching practice. I never felt the need to sell what happens at school. School is just something we have to do, so let’s buckle down and do it. Of course, this isn’t good enough motivation for many of our students.

I’ve actually been struggling with student motivation over the past few years. This seems like a great way to establish a positive learning environment. I can’t wait to try this three day plan next year!

Teaching Tip Tuesday – great resources for classroom teachers every week!