Connect and Involve

Connect and Involve: How to Connect with Students and Involve Them in Learning is a practical handbook of strategies and procedures for teaching at all grade levels—elementary, middle, and high school. The secret to increasing teaching effectiveness is to make small changes in what teachers think and do—and to get their students to make small changes in what they think and do. Every time teachers connect with students and involve them in learning, teachers engage them in powerful ways that make it more likely that they will choose to learn and to do quality work. This book shows how to be a more effective teacher through small changes in planning and classroom procedures. Each chapter focuses on a key strategy, and each chapter head and its subheads are an outline of how to put the strategy into practice. Teachers can preview all the ideas by reading the chapter titles, heads, and subheads. There are no prescriptions here; teachers bring their expertise on the age group, the subjects they teach, and the big ideas and key skills students need to achieve on high-stakes testing. The strategies and procedures provide ways for teachers to evaluate where small changes can make a difference in achievement for their students.

In “Connect and Involve” Dr. Robert Martin synthesizes his more than 40 years’ experience as a psychologist and educator into one comprehensive and cohesive guide which provides timely, real-world actions and behaviors focused on improving relationships with students as a means to enhance their learning and academic achievement.The strategies and practices in this book align well the work of Chappuis, Marzano, Hattie and others regarding what works in classrooms and solidifies the position that enhanced student learning and achievement hinges not only on good teaching practice, but on positive, meaningful relationships with students.Robert’s work would be an exceptional addition to the library of any educator who is truly dedicated to improving connections/relationships with students and thus improving not only their academic achievement but their lives and future opportunities., Connect and Involve speaks to my heart as a teacher. I think it is the kind of book that will speak to the hearts of all educators. There is nothing trendy about the techniques—no fleeting terminology that is going to fall out of favor before the book even has a chance to be read through cover-to-cover. By the same token, there is also not a single technique or idea that is unadventurous or overly conventional. Instead, Dr. Martin lands squarely on the gold standard by streamlining universal best practice. Whether you are a pre-service teacher-in-training, a brand-new classroom teacher, or a seasoned educator, this book is full of effective strategies you can readily and simply implement in your practice. That, I think, is what all of us want as teachers … simple ideas and tools to help us do an even better job reaching and teaching our students.

Robert J. Martin is a licensed psychologist and has worked with teachers and students K-12 in the public schools and with all age groups in private practice. He has taught graduate and undergraduate students in educational psychology and counselor education, and is Professor Emeritus at Truman State University.