Clock Watchers: Six Steps to Motivating and Engaging Disengaged Students Across Content Areas

by Cris Tovani, John McDermott, Cris Tovani (Foreword by)

Listen to a with Stevi Quate, John McDermott, and two teachers who have used their framework to get all students engaged and motivated. "Instead of cringing the next time your colleagues utter the words, "These students don't care," hand them Clock Watchers . Describe your personal struggles and your experience with the book so they know that you know what they're going through. Then point out a few of your favorite ideas. As you walk away, you'll smile knowing you've made a difference." -Cris Tovani
Author of I Read It, but I Don't Get It For Stevi Quate and John McDermott , this was the missing piece of their " How can I motivate my students and then create a context that will engage them? " Clock Watchers is their powerful answer-a plan that gets kids to care about learning and truly engage with the curriculum. Clock Watchers is not a book of tips and tricks. Instead it applies the research on motivation and engagement to support increased achievement and improved attitudes about school. Quate and McDermott's six-step Clock Watchers works with the most reluctant learners. Its end-of-text study guide makes the book ideal for PLCs and study groups, and it is a research-based resource for district-wide initiatives aimed at improving student motivation and engagement. If deeper learning, increased achievement, and reduced drop-out rates matter to you, then motivation and engagement are an urgent matter. Read Clock Watchers with colleagues and put it into action-before the time to change your students' lives runs out.

Genres: Education, Teaching

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

No great shakes and not a lot new under this sun (to steal a page from Ecclesiastes). Premise of the book is the Six C's: Caring Classroom Community (no, that's only one), Checking In and Checking Out, Choice, Collaboration, Challenge, and Celebration. As you can probably tell (if you've been in the trenches a few years), we're headed toward well-traveled terrain here, some of it even corny (the celebration especially... egads). I picked up a few new ideas, but only a few.

I suppose the most interesting to me was the "Star Seminar" wrinkle, wherein only four or five speakers are in a Socratic circle and spokes of students extend behind each at desks in a straight line (thus, the star). These silent supporters have 3x5 index cards and write down ideas for the head of the line (he who is in the discussion), passing them up as they write them. After a prescribed number of minutes, the talker goes to the back of the spoke (Canada geese, anyone?) and the activity continues. It might be interesting as it allows more quiet students to shine; they can write instead of speak -- at least for the majority of the time -- and all names go on all cards so teachers can assess silent involvement as well as oral involvement.

What would Socrates say? Too much, probably. But that's why we love him. Greece, after all, is the word.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read an awesome book for teachers called Clock Watchers by Stevi Quate and John McDermott. I picked this book thinking it was written by one of my favorite teachers - Cris Tovani. It turns out she just wrote the introduction, but I am glad I decided to read it anyway.
This book has six steps to motivate disengaged students. The authors call them the six Cs: Caring Classroom Community, Checking In and Checking Out, Choice, Collaboration, Challenge and Celebration. A chapter is devoted to each of the steps. The authors give examples from their own classrooms and then give you specific ways you can implement that step in your classroom. You can choose to implement any or all of the steps, but they work best together. The last chapter explains how the steps can be implemented together.
This book had lots of great strategies and examples that I plan to use in my classroom this fall. It is a great book for teachers of all ages - from preschool to college. I highly recommend it if you have any clock watchers like I do!

[Mark Wilkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that discusses practical strategies for teachers who have had trouble engaging students and keeping them motivated. Centered around the concept of "The Six Cs" (Caring Classroom Community, Checking in and Checking Out, Choice, Collaboration, Challenge, and Celebration), this book blends teachers' personal stories from schools in Denver, Colorado with practical activities and strategies that the authors, teachers themselves, have used in the past that they claim works. As to whether these strategies work or not depends on how the teachers who read them, utilize them. Though I have the idea that some of the activities may seem cheesy or ineffective, if I build the right relationship with my students, I see no reason why they can't work. Give this book a chance; it can be a great resource for both the new teachers (as I am) or the seasoned professionals.

[Rena Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has several great ideas for engaging and involving students in a way that will cut some of mind-numbing boredom of the classroom. Quate and McDermott outline six areas of classroom management that affect student success, and describe how to achieve them. The six C's: Caring Classroom Community, Checking In and Checking Out, Choice, Collaboration, Challenge and Celebration are all described and activities and rubrics, as well as monitoring worksheets are provided in the text.

This is a short, but very good book for any teacher, K - 12.

[Carli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several professional development books that I liked. This one seemed especially approachable somehow. I'd read each chapter and feel like they had offered many strategies that wouldn't require back-breaking effort on my part, but still would create the classroom environment that I want.

The book preaches the 6 C's: Caring Classroom Community, Checking in and Out, Choice, Collaboration, Challenge, and Celebration.

Worth reading for secondary educators.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boils down issues of motivation to 6 factors--and they are mostly factors teachers can do! Some of this isn't new: good teachers know about choice and collaboration and having a caring classroom. Some of the ideas for setting up such a classroom are innovative, as are some of the reminders about challenge and what the authors call "checking in and checking out."

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh...interesting, nothing earth-shattering. Hope I saved $$ by getting it on my kindle. There were some rubrics I marked to return to, and some ideas that I could easily incorporate into my practice, but as a whole book, I guess I wasn't the target audience. I can see younger teachers much more excited than I was.

Good...

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way the authors bring together these critical elements in one succinct model. The Six C's woven together can create that motivation and engagement that is so important for our students. Lots of food for thought here and some phenomenal ideas for collaborative activities to challenge young people's minds.

[Hayley]

Still reading.

[Holly Jorgenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted some new information on student motivation, but it didn't offer anything new.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time to start working.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The What, why, and how of student motivation and engagement.

[Sara Foster]

Recommended by Katie DiDonato at Silver Hills Middle School. Look for copy at school.