Douglas Fisher & Nancy Frey 
Engagement by Design 
Creating Learning Environments Where Students Thrive

Every teacher wants engaged students. No student wants to be bored. So why isn’t every classroom teeming with discussion and purposeful activity centered on the day’s learning expectations? Consistently finding a rhythm-where students progress through relevant and challenging content-isn’t easy. But not only is it possible, it can also seem effortless when teachers have the right design for genuinely engaging students. Classroom dynamics are inherently complex, as multifaceted as the personalities in the room, so where should a teacher begin? Engagement by Design gives you a framework for making daily improvements and highlights the opportunities that will bring the greatest benefit in the least amount of time. You’ll learn about relationships, clarity, and challenge, including How getting to know each student a little better can fundamentally change the classroom dynamics-and how to do that What it means to be an "intentionally inviting" teacher, and how it gives you an advantage in creating an environment conducive to learning How to bring more clarity to key aspects of your work-and how it can reap substantial rewards for you and your students How opening the culture to student voice-listening to students-is linked to academic motivation, and how to use it to shape your day-to-day planning The best ways to increase learning for your students, boosting the proportional value of their school year Understanding engagement-and actively pursuing it-can make all the difference between forging a real connection with students and having a classroom that’s simply going through the motions. Engagement by Design puts you in control of managing your classroom’s success and increasing student learning, one motivated student at a time.