Tag: Middle & High School

Innovation Often Means Teaching Against The Grain – TeachThought

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November 18, 2025 | Updated November 15, 2025

by TeachThought Staff

Recently I came across this interesting article: Shifting from Pedagogy to Heutagogy and whilst espousing all contained within, it got me thinking about the inescapable perils faced when adopting this and other progressive forms of teaching.

See also 7 Differences Between Good And Great Teachers

Going against the grain can be a lonely experience at times, and whilst sound theory and instinct act as a nice warm blanket against the cold, one could well do with a practical survival guide to assist in implementing new practice. Teachers need to be prepared for the reality of what lies ahead of them to assist in the reshaping of their classrooms, and to ultimately strengthen their resolve in maintaining the chosen epistemology.

Most progressive teaching models from Heutagogy, Constructivism, to PBL concern themselves essentially, as much as possible, with placing the process and outcomes of learning in the hands of the learner. But let’s cut to the chase here, implementing such pedagogy is very messy, requires enormous patience, a degree of pragmatism, and most importantly, needs a teacher of great skill who can de-school their students to engage with it.

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1. De-schooling means re-tooling.

When shifting your teaching practice to a style that centers itself more on the learner and less on the teacher, be prepared for many students (and parents) to vehemently complain that you are not teaching them, and the inevitable confidence killing that these savage claims create. Never is this feeling stronger when you have students of good ability beginning to complain. In these times it can seem as though you are robbing Peter to pay Paul, but in order to counter such occasion, ensure you have a very well thought-out plan and rationale that can be defended in case your line manager decides to investigate their ire, and more importantly, one that you can talk yourself through in predictable moments of doubt.

Always remember what constitutes real learning, and you’ll be fine.

2. Be pragmatic.

Having said that, it would be wise to initiate the students with small doses of the new style, easing them in to what can be for many an uncomfortable territory. Imagine the look on most students’ faces if you begin the unit by saying ’Ok, here are the outcomes you need to achieve by the end of the unit, but you design the learning to achieve it.’ This is not just throwing students into the deep end. This is dropping them out of a helicopter into the middle of the ocean.

You need to set up the space, set up the culture for them to succeed in: how to research, how to work cooperatively, how to set incremental goals, how to manage time, how to work independently. Remember, by the end of high school, students have had up to 11+ years of teacher-led learning, and as they get older, have been told probably thousands of times how important it is to achieve a certain grade, a grade which may seem in jeopardy without the strong lead of the teacher.

This blending is exactly what I find myself doing. I always begin a unit with a strong learner-based approach, and slowly incorporate a much more guided flow towards the end as we approach assessment. No matter what anyone says, it is at the end of the unit that we have to be pragmatic: students will be tested on specific learning outcomes, and there’s a lot at stake for me as a teacher if they aren’t met. The overall aim however is to continually manipulate the ratio in favor of learner-based learning.

3. Patience (amongst great mess) is a virtue.

This is where lots of patience comes in. With some groups, it may take much much longer to make it standard practice. You have to remember that to achieve success with student-centered learning is by no means an easy feat, and so you must be patient with yourself as you try to get it right. You have to be especially patient with the messiness of it all.

The messiness can be overwhelming at times, particularly with learners who have been largely disconnected to learning. For them, it can seem like a free ride, a chance to do nothing, and the compulsion to manage and structure such occasions by reverting to old tricks is strong. In such instances, guidance and coercion down a certain path may be the only chance of keeping the dream alive. But this needn’t mean that it has to be completely teacher-led. Ensuring students arrive at an end outcome doesn’t mean that there is only one way to get there.

Sensible bridging strategies are not compromises, but smart decisions made to stay afloat.

4. No pain, no gain.

If it all sounds quite daunting, that’s because it is. But we shouldn’t expect any less, because after all we are talking about perfecting teaching models that take a teacher to the top of the game. The number of times I’ve fallen off the wagon are too countless to name, but I always return, knowing that the learning is significantly stronger and that ironically, eventually the compulsory testing yields better results.

But more than that, I keep returning because when it works, the feeling that I get observing students learning for themselves and assuming ownership of their experience is one of pure joy, and always confirms why I love education.

Adapted image attribution flickr user Dan; Innovation Often Means Teaching Against The Grain

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TeachThought Staff

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November 18, 2025
6 Domains Of Cognition: The TeachThought Learning Taxonomy
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by Terry Heick

How can you tell if a student really understands something?

They learn early on to play the game—tell the teacher and/or the test what they ‘want to know,’ and even the best assessment leaves something on the table. (In truth, a big portion of the time students simply don’t know what they don’t know.)

The idea of understanding is, of course, at the heart of all learning, and solving it as a puzzle is one of the three pillars of formal learning environments and education.

1. What do they need to understand (standards)?

2. What (and how) do they currently understand (assessment)?

3. How can they best come to understand what they currently do not (planning learning experiences and instruction)?

But how do we know if they know it? And what is ‘it’?

Understanding As ‘It’

On the surface, there is trouble with the word ‘it.’ Sounds vague. Troublesome. Uncertain. But everyone somehow knows what it is.

‘It’ is essentially what is to be learned, and it can be a scary thing to both teachers and students. ‘It’ is everything, described with intimidating terms like objective, target, proficiency, test, exam, grade, fail, and succeed.

And in terms of content, ‘it’ could be almost anything: a fact, a discovery, a habit, skill, or general concept, from mathematical theory to a scientific process, the importance of a historical figure to an author’s purpose in a text.

So if a student gets it, beyond pure academic performance what might they be able to do? There are many existing taxonomies and characteristics, from Bloom’s to Understanding by Design’s 6 Facets of Understanding.

The following actions are set up as a linear taxonomy, from most basic to the most complex. The best part about it is its simplicity: Most of these actions can be performed simply in the classroom in minutes, and don’t require complex planning or an extended exam period.

By using a quick diagram, concept map, t-chart, conversation, picture, or short response in a journal, quick face-to-face collaboration, on an exit slip, or via digital/social media, understanding can be evaluated in minutes, helping to replace testing and consternation with a climate of assessment. It can be even be displayed on a class website or hung in the classroom to help guide self-directed learning, with students checking themselves for understanding.

How This Understanding Taxonomy Works

I’ll write more about this soon and put this into a more graphic form soon; both of these are critical in using it. (Update: I’m also creating a course for teachers to help the, use it.) For now, I’ll say that it can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning. Or to develop critical thinking questions for any content area.

The ‘Heick’ learning taxonomy is meant to be simple, arranged as (mostly) isolated tasks that range in complexity from less to more. That said, students needn’t demonstrate the ‘highest’ levels of understanding–that misses the point. Any ability to complete these tasks is a demonstration of understanding. The greater number of tasks the student can complete the better, but all ‘boxes checked’ are evidence that the student ‘gets it.’

36 Thinking Strategies To Help Students Wrestle With Complexity

The Heick Learning Taxonomy

Domain 1: The Parts
1. Explain or describe it simply
2. Label its major and minor parts
3. Evaluate its most and least important characteristics
4. Deconstruct or ‘unbuild’ it efficiently
5. Give examples and non-examples
6. Separate it into categories, or as an item in broader categories
Example Topic

The Revolutionary War

Sample Prompts

Explain the Revolutionary War in simple terms (e.g., an inevitable rebellion that created a new nation).

Identify the major and minor ‘parts’ of the Revolutionary War (e.g., economics and propaganda, soldiers and tariffs).

Evaluate the Revolutionary War and identify its least and most important characteristics (e.g., caused and effects vs city names and minor skirmishes)

See also 20 Types Of Questions For Teaching Critical Thinking

Domain 2: The Whole
1. Explain it in micro-detail and macro-context
2. Create a diagram that embeds it in a self-selected context
3. Explain how it is and is not useful both practically and intellectually
4. Play with it casually
5. Leverage it both in parts and in whole
6. Revise it expertly, and explain the impact of any revisions
Domain 3: The Interdependence
1. Explain how it relates to similar and non-similar ideas
2. Direct others in using it
3. Explain it differently–and precisely–to both a novice and an expert
4. Explain exactly how and where others might misunderstand it
5. Compare it to other similar and non-similar ideas
6. Identify analogous but distinct ideas, concepts, or situations
Domain 4: The Function
1. Apply it in unfamiliar situations
2. Create accurate analogies to convey its function or meaning
3. Analyze the sweet spot of its utility
4. Repurpose it with creativity
5. Know when to use it
6. Plausibly theorize its origins
Domain 5: The Abstraction
1. Insightfully or artfully demonstrate its nuance
2. Criticize it in terms of what it might ‘miss’ or where it’s ‘dishonest’ or incomplete
3. Debate its ‘truths’ as a supporter or devil’s advocate
4. Explain its elegance or crudeness
5. Analyze its objectivity and subjectivity, and how the two relate
6. Design a sequel, extension, follow-up, or evolution of it
Domain 6: The Self
1. Self-direct future learning about the topic
2. Ask specific, insightful questions about it
3. Recall or narrate their own learning sequence or chronology (metacognition) in coming to know it
4. Is comfortable using it across diverse contexts and circumstances
5. Identify what they still don’t understand about it
6. Analyze changes in self-knowledge as a result of understanding
Advanced Understanding

Understanding by Design’s 6 facets of Understanding, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and Marzano’s New Taxonomy were also referenced in the creation of this taxonomy; a learning taxonomy for understanding
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Terry Heick

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October 8, 2025
Bertrand Russell’s 10 Essential Rules Of Critical Thinking
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Bertrand Russell’s 10 Essential Rules Of Critical Thinking

by Terry Heick

For a field of study that explores the nature of knowledge, Philosophy has had a surprisingly small impact on education.

Most formal academic ‘platforms’ like public schools and universities tend to parse knowledge into content areas–what is being learned–rather than how and why it is being learned. This, to a degree, reduces the function of pure philosophy. Psychology, Neurology, and even Anthropology all have had a louder voice in ‘education,’ which may explain why critical thinking seems to be so often missing from most school and curriculum design.

There are exceptions, of course. John Dewey is one of the central figures in modern Western education. British philosopher Bertrand Russell, too, was interested in how people think and learn, and for a 1951 piece in New York Times Magazine created a convenient itemized list we might follow as a kind of set of ‘rules’ for for critical thinking (he called them ‘commandments’–long story).

Bertrand Russell’s 10 Essential Rules Of Critical Thinking

Perhaps the essence of the Liberal outlook could be summed up in a new decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it. The Ten Commandments that, as a teacher, I should wish to promulgate, might be set forth as follows:
1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2. Do not think it worthwhile to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it
5. by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
6. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
7. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
8. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
9. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the
10. former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
11. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
12. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.
Bertrand Russell’s 10 Essential Rules Of Critical Thinking
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Terrell Heick

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September 3, 2024
The 33 Best Books For Students Who Don’t Like To Read
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“Let’s get out our [independent/book club/whole class] books and open to page __!”

At least one student in the room experiences a shudder of disdain and a wave of despondency each time such words are uttered (many more students are likely experiencing this emotional response to the dread of reading on the inside).

Why Do Students Hate Reading?

Some students are revolted by the prospect of reading. Several common findings show up from teachers’ reports:
- They haven’t found a book, author, or genre yet that they like, and they don’t know where to begin
- They would prefer to occupy their time with different forms of media or more kinesthetic activities
- They find reading boring — not long after they start reading, they lose track of their place, get annoyed by having to reread difficult passages, or tune out when the author goes on and on about seemingly insignifcant details
- They have been ‘forced’ to read books in middle school that they didn’t enjoy, either because the books were neither interesting, relevant, nor accessible
- Their grades in ELA are somewhat dependent on scores from AR (accelerated reader) tests/quizzes, the questions of which mainly prompt students to recall basic information about the plot
See also What Are The Best Novels In Verse For Middle & High School Readers?

Here’s the thing — all of these reasons are totally valid. It can be physically and mentally challenging to decode a text that may be full of difficult vocabulary, unfamiliar cultural references, background/historical knowledge, and more. It can be emotionally straining to tackle controversial or sensitive topics. Additionally, teachers who engage students in reading through whole-class novels alone (as opposed to including independent reading or smaller book club groups) risk isolating and turning off readers for the sake of what feels like efficiency. At some point between elementary school and high school, many students fall out of love with reading, an act that used to involve play and imagination and risk and creativity and fun. Add in multiple-choice exams and reading timelines and annotations, and the magic is understandably less apparent.

In What I Tell Students When They Say They Don’t Like to Read, Terry Heick shares with a hypothetical student: “If you say you ‘hate reading,’ that means you hate ideas and emotions. Feeling things. Exploring things. Achieving things. Next time you say you hate reading, say instead, ‘I hate feeling things,’ or ‘I hate stories and ideas written with words on pieces of paper that can help me achieve anything I’ve dreamed and can help me dream if I haven’t.’”

Such a statement might warrant a good chuckle to a student who is struggling with reading. As educators, sharing one’s own challenges with reading — as a child, teen, and adult — can help reluctant readers feel like they’re less alone and reduce the pressure to appear like they’re engaged in a book they can’t stand. What comes next? An awesome book to reignite enjoyment in reading. Here’s where we can help.

We’ve compiled a list of 33 of the best books for students who don’t like to read. How did these books make it onto our list?
- The books are often told by multiple narrators
- The books are written by diverse authors
- The books are written in different forms
- The books are accessible for readers of all levels
- The books touch on topics that are relevant to students’ lives today
- The books touch on topics that adults often try to shield teens from reading (even though teens are experiencing them vicariously or in real life)
See Also 12 Reasons Students Don’t Read And What You Can Do About It

Upon finishing these books, students are likely to ask an ELA teacher’s five favorite words, “What should I read next?” The great thing about these books is that many of them are part of a series, many are written by authors who have since published additional books, and many can act as a bridge to a new genre (like historical fiction, mystery, poetry, or memoir). The more a student can find and read books that are enjoyable and meaningful, the more confident they will become in identifying books they think they will like.

We hope these books are catalysts for your students and for teachers, who might benefit from venturing outside of the traditional canon and experimenting with new ways of fostering a love of reading in their classes.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to products. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our policy here.

The Best Books for Students Who Don’t Like to Read

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Xiomara ‘X’ Batista shares her challenges with relationships, dealing with her overbearing mother, and using her voice in a world that wants her to be silent. Students will relate to X’s passion and attitude, as well as her bravery in saying difficult things out loud. As a novel written in free verse, The Poet X is accessible to students who may be intimidated by longer texts written in prose.

The Crossover Series by Kwame Alexander

Start with The Crossover — Book 1 in this series — and students will be clamoring for the sequels once they’ve finished! Twin brothers Josh and Jordan Bell are twin ballers in middle school who compete on and off the court. Their father’s illness becomes a game-changer for the family, which both boys deal with in different ways. Also written in free verse, this series promises to boost the confidence of readers who generally avoid longer novels.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Junior is one of the most entertaining and relatable protagonists from the books on this list. As a teenage boy growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Junior is shunned when he leaves his school to attend an all-white school on the other side of town to play basketball. Junior self-deprecatingly shares his daily struggles in navigating two cultures and forging his own path.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

After his friend Hannah Baker takes her own life, Clay Jensen is surprised to discover a package with thirteen cassette tapes on his porch. In the first tape, Hannah shares that there are 13 reasons why she decided to end her life and that Clay is one of them. As he listens to each tape, he learns more about the pain Hannah endured on a regular basis, as well as the people in her life who harmed her. Students enjoy the multiple perspectives and suspense within this novel, which keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie

Fast-paced, action-packed, and full of themes that teens are grappling with in the present — dystopian novels tend to be a popular genre with reluctant readers. This trilogy is no exception. In this dystopian setting ‘the Society’ makes choices for its citizens: what to read, what to watch, what to believe, and the person with whom they’re most compatible. When Cassia witnesses a glitch in her matching ceremony, she becomes determined to find out which of two options might be best suited for her.

Maze Runner Series by James Dashner

Readers get hooked with Maze Runner — a dystopian novel where a teenage boy named Thomas wakes up in a strange place with unfamiliar boys, and a towering maze full of deadly predators. The only want to get out is through the maze, but no one has ever made it out alive. Readers will quickly become hooked to the engaging plot — thank goodness there’s a series!

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

Gym Candy is particularly attractive to students who are also athletes. It tells the story of a high school football player who is extremely competitive (with others and himself), and who encounters an option to give him even more of an edge — steroids. Readers will be drawn in by Mick’s inner dialogue and drive to be the best.

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Matteo is a monster — at least, that’s how society views him. Harvested in the womb of a cow by his father, El Patrón (lord of a country called Opium), Matteo is a teen when this novel commences. He knows that he must escape the dangerous confines of his father’s estate to avoid power-hungry family members, but how will he survive on the outside?

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz

Alan Gratz might be the best kryptonite for students who don’t like to read, and Prisoner B-3087 is a great entry point to Gratz’s style. Yanek is a Jewish boy living in Poland during the Nazi takeover. Once he is taken prisoner, the words PRISONER B-3087 are tattooed on his arm. From that point, he travels to ten different concentration camps, where he experiences terrible forms of torture, starvation, and forced labor.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This one’s not your average love story! Hazel feels defined by her cancer diagnosis. When she meets Augustus Waters in a Cancer Kid Support Group, her outlook on life and her own future change rapidly. Readers will fall for the authentic characters and the devastating conclusion that leaves them with a choice — to keep letting the negative things in life define us, or to persist.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy by Jenny Han

Why is it so fun to read about embarrassing things that happen to people? At the beginning of this series, Lara Jean’s five crushes all receive the love letters that she has written to them in private over the last several years. What a nightmare! Readers will enjoy watching how Lara Jean navigates the relationships simultaneously and want to move quickly on to the next books in the series.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Crank is one of over ten books written by Ellen Hopkins, whose books are all written in verse, and whose difficult topics include drug abuse, sexual assault, suicide, and depression — all things that 21st-century teenagers are exposed to, in various ways. In Crank, Kristina Snow starts out as a reserved, people-pleasing high school junior, but after she spends the summer at her father’s house and gets addicted to crystal meth, everything changes. As dark as Hopkins’ books can be, they provide an opportunity for readers to vicariously experience the destructive nature of drugs.

White Smoke by Tiffany Jackson

Students who have moved from place to place (or family to family) might relate well to Marigold, who finds herself living in a haunted house (despite its picture-perfect appearance). Weird things keep happening — harmless at first — but then Mari starts to hear voices and smell foul odors. Readers will soon discover that the secrets of the house on Maple Street are an extension of the town of Cedarville’s secrets.

All-American Boys by Brendan Kiely & Jason Reynolds

16-year-old Rashad is arrested for shoplifting. But here’s the thing — he didn’t do anything wrong. Quinn (Rashad’s white classmate) watches the cop assault and arrest Rashad at the bodega. Here’s the other thing — the cop has raised Quinn since Quinn’s father died in Afghanistan. As the entire community takes sides on the encounter, Quinn is the only witness who struggles with doing the right thing and what that might mean for his relationships. Readers will enjoy hearing this story, which is told from the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Books 1-4) by Jeff Kinney

If you teach a group of high school students who don’t like to read and ask them if there were any books they enjoyed in middle school, it’s likely that Diary of a Wimpy Kid was that sole book. Greg is an extremely relatable protagonist attending middle school and dealing with bullies, hormones, puberty, and social dynamics. When his friend Rowley starts to become more popular, and Greg tries to ride Rowley’s coattails to middle school elite status, hilarity ensues. The novel features funny drawings on each page, making it an accessible selection for students who are intimidated by longer prose novels.

Restart by Gordon Korman

Ever since Chase fell off the roof, odd things are happening. His memory is wiped out. He can’t even remember his own name, at first. People at his school start to treat him differently upon his return, and Chase sets out to discover who he was before the fall, and who he wants to be now that he has a second chance.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Who doesn’t love a story of a dysfunctional family? The family in We Were Liars is full of secrets. Four sisters (plus their spouses and children) all vacation together on a private island for the summer. Four of the sisters’ children forge what feels like an unbreakable bond until lies and secrets are revealed. Students will be desperate to learn which family member is responsible for a devastating event that happens on the island, and who will survive the aftermath…

One Of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

We’re not going to lie…the plot of this book starts off very similar to The Breakfast Club. On a random afternoon, five high school students have detention. One is a nerd, another a beauty, another a rebel, another an athlete, and another an outcast. Before the end of the detention session, one of them dies. How? Is it an accident? Or did someone have a motive? What about the fact that the outcast was going to spill the tea on all four of peers in detention? Readers will love trying to figure out who is guilty in this page-turner.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

There is a monster living in Conor’s backyard. The same monster from his nightmares that have plagued him since his mother became ill. The monster tells Conor that it will tell him three true stories and that Conor must then tell his own true story. If Conor lies, however, the monster will consume him. Among those stories, readers learn about Conor’s loneliness, his deadbeat father, his aloof grandmother, and the bullies that torment him at school.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In this thrilling tale, a court nobleman recruits four orphans (including a rebellious boy named Sage) to impersonate the king’s long-lost son and become a ‘puppet prince.’ Readers will enjoy watching Sage and his three friends compete against one another, only to discover that they are all being taken advantage of. Even better, there are three more books that follow in the saga!

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Many of our reluctant readers seem to enjoy books with multiple narrators — especially unreliable ones! This is Where It Ends is set in the middle of a school shooting and is told from multiple perspectives over the span of 54 minutes. Tyler is the gunman. His sister Autumn (and her secret girlfriend Sylv) try to stay calm. Tomás (Sylv’s brother) tries to help a group of students and teachers who are trapped in a room with Tyler. Claire (Tyler’s ex-girlfriend) feels helpless outside of the school walls. While there’s no happy ending, students will be captivated by this gripping, emotionally charged selection.

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

Something strange is going on in Brooklyn. After a dead body breaks up Sierra’s first party of the summer, and the murals in her neighborhood start to cry literal tears, Sierra soon discovers the magic of shadowshaping — an art that instills the spirits of ancestors into artwork. As someone starts killing shadowshapers, Sierra must protect herself and the generations of future shadowshapers.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

The protagonist of this novel — 13-year-old Brian — is the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness. Left with only the clothes on his back and a hatchet from his mother, Brian must learn how to survive. As he learns how to build a shelter, hunt, forage, and make fire, he must also come to terms with his mother’s infidelity and the relationship he wants to have with his father. Will he ever be rescued? And if he is, how will he face his parents?

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

We haven’t heard of a student who started reading this book and failed to fall in love with it. Even the most resistant readers will relate to the protagonist — Will — who deliberates taking revenge on the person he believes murdered his older brother. Written in verse, and taking place within the span of an elevator ride down several floors, Long Way Down compels readers to think about the pros and cons of revenge.

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

At 12 years old, Jerome is killed by a cop who assumes that his toy gun is an actual weapon. Jerome returns as a ghost to witness the aftermath of his death — on his family and his community. During this time, Jerome meets the ghost of Emmett Till, who died under similar circumstances, and Sarah, the daughter of the cop.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians Boxed Set by Rick Riordan

Students love Percy Jackson books! Percy is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. From The Lightning Thief to The Last Olympian, readers will enjoy accompanying Percy on his hilarious and adventurous journeys alongside monsters, beasts, demigods, and other tricksters from Greek mythology.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park are two 16-year-old misfits who meet on a school bus on Eleanor’s first day of 10th grade at a new high school in the year 1986. Brought together by a bullying incident, they begin to connect through their mutual interests. As they grow closer, Eleanor fears that Park will realize what she deals with at home — a drunk, abusive stepfather. Readers will enjoy getting to know these well-developed characters and following what happens to Eleanor after Park attempts to rescue her from her abusive home situation.

Denton Little’s Death Date by Lance Rubin

If you knew the exact date when you would die, how would that change how you lived out the rest of your life? In Denton’s world, everyone knows their death date. Unfortunately for Denton, a high school senior, his death date is scheduled for the day of his senior prom. Readers will laugh out loud at the embarrassing, awkward, and befuddling situations that Denton gets involved in prior to prom night.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

15-year-old Lina is living in Lithuania with her family, until Soviet officers barge into her home, separate her father, mother, and younger brother onto crowded trains leading to Siberian work camps, and force them to survive the elements. Linda and her mother and brother are desperate to find their father but losing hope. As Linda documents the upheaval of her life, she hopes that the art she leaves behind will find its way into her father’s hands. Students who enjoy learning and reading about the Holocaust will enjoy learning about this lesser-told tale of the genocide of the Baltic people of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Set in a dystopian society where abortion is outlawed, parents have the legal option to send their teenager to be ‘unwound’ upon reaching a certain age. You can be unwound for various reasons, but most are condemned to the unwinding facility for being rebellious, delinquent, or in rare cases, a religious sacrifice. What does it mean to be unwound? In a surgical procedure, doctors remove each part of the body — while the person is still conscious — until nothing remains. These parts get distributed to people who need them in the outside world. One of the most intriguing scenes of the book details the process of unwinding from a person experiencing it in real-time. Readers will root for the three main characters who share their perspectives and unite to topple the authority behind the unwinding system.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Here we have the only book on our list that is narrated by a dog — Enzo, to be exact. Enzo operates under the belief that a dog who is ‘prepared’ will be reincarnated as a human in its next life. Enzo absorbs as much knowledge as he can from the TV, specifically about his owner’s passion for race car driving. He witnesses his owner get married, have a child, deal with a terminal illness, and engage in a custody battle. Students who love dogs or have dogs as companions will fall in love with this tearjerker.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

On the night of a big party, Justyce spots his ex-girlfriend attempting to start her car and drive home while intoxicated. A copy passing by assumes that Justyce is attempting to assault her, and arrests him in front of his classmates. To deal with the taunts and judgments from his peers, Justyce begins writing letters to the deceased Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Not too long after, Justyce and his best friend Manny are involved in another intense altercation with a cop, and shots are fired. Justyce is a compelling character, whose struggles are revealed through introspective letters to MLK.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give is one of those books that everyone should read before graduating high school. Its protagonist — Starr Carter — does her best to navigate two worlds: her poor neighborhood and fancy prep school. When Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her (unarmed)childhood best friend at the hands of a cop, she is afraid that people will find out she was the only witness. It is unbearable to hear the media and schoolmates label her deceased friend as a thug who ‘deserved it,’ and as the pressure mounts, Starr decides to speak up.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Natasha and Daniel are two teenagers living in New York City who meet on the day Natasha finds out her family is being deported back to Jamaica. Daniel is additionally struggling to meet the rigid and high expectations of his parents, who own a convenience store. Natasha is determined, wary, and practical. Daniel is outgoing, idealistic, and easy-going. In this case, opposites definitely attract, but how can they stop Natasha’s family from being deported to Jamaica, where Natash has never stepped foot?

Pride: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Ibi Zoboi

Based on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, Pride tells the story of Zuri Benitez, daughter of a proud, Afro-Latino family in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn. When the wealthy Darcy family moves next door, Zuri comes to loathe them and their two teenage sons — Ainsley and Darius. As Zuri battles the expected trials of high school, she also has to balance pressures from her four sisters, attention from curious suitors, and dreaded college applications…not to mention, a growing shift in feelings toward Darius, the youngest Darcy brother. Readers will enjoy this classic tale retold in a modern, relatable voice.
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TeachThought Staff

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June 25, 2024
8 Things Students Need In Modern Project-Based Learning

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by Terry Heick

We recently offered a definition of project-based learning and looked at keys to designing Project-Based Learning.

We also have looked at the difference between ‘doing projects’ and project-based learning, various project-based learning resources, project-based learning apps, and offered ways for using an iPad in Project-Based Learning.

And have shared some practical ideas for better teaching through project-based learning as well.

What might be missing from these posts, however, are simply the characteristics of project-based learning in the 21st-century. What does it look like? What might be evidence that it’s happening consistently? What needs to be built into every project–or the design of the required curriculum–so that students can shift from a mere ‘project’ to a thoroughly modern learning experience that runs parallel with the connected world they live in?

We tend to think of project-based learning as focused on research, planning problem-solving, authenticity, and inquiry. Further, collaboration, resourcefulness, and networking matter too–dozens of characteristics ‘fit’ into project-based learning. Its popularity comes from, among other characteristics, its general flexibility as a curriculum framework. You can do, teach, assess, and connect almost anything within the context of a well-designed project.

But what if we had to settle on a handful (or two) of itemized characteristics for modern, connected, possibly place-based, and often digital project-based learning? Well, then the following might be useful.

8 Needs For Project-Based Learning In The 21st-Century

1. Connectedness

Or connectivity. Interdependence–however you want to phrase it. The idea is, what does this project connect to? A community? A hope? An app? An existing project already in place? A social challenge? Some kind of conflict? Something downright unsolvable?

Through connectedness, students can then identify a proper scale to work within. (In fact, ‘Scale’ could well be an item of its own.)

2. Meaning

‘Meaning’ is always first personal, and then academic (if it becomes academic). This kind of meaning requires authentic audiences, purposes, and collaboration set in real, intimate communities that share history, space, and meaning with learners.

3. Diversity

Diversity of purpose, scale, audience, digital media, potential resources, existing models, related projects, and so on require first analysis of these kinds of diversities on the part of the project manager–that is, the student.

This can also be a matter of differentiation–less diversity and inherent complexity for students struggling with certain strands of project-based learning as a kind of set of training wheels until they get their balance. And when they do? Add it right back in.

4. Research

This one’s not sexy or compelling–this is a big part of the ‘work’ of any project.

Researching the history of an issue or problem. Understanding the subtleties of given demographic data. Analyzing the credibility of information. Seeing how technology can serve or distract you (or rather, them) from the meat of the issue. This kind of knowledge helps you turn a problem into an opportunity.

5. A Necessity For Creativity And Critical Thinking

Among other themes, the 21st-century is about niches, innovation, and scale–seeing an opportunity, and designing something that works on a given–and clear–scale.

Too often, however, creativity is encouraged without being required. Points are given and a column is added to the rubric and teachers ask for it explicitly but designing a project–or helping students design their own project–that fails without creativity is another thing altogether.

Lateral thinking, outside-the-box thinking, and taking the best from existing models are all part of 21st-century learning.

6. Pivot Points

Perhaps the most modern of characteristics is the ability to be agile–to pivot as circumstances, data, and needs change. The world changes quickly, and the ability to adapt is an extraordinary sign of strength. Pivoting to a new digital media, audience, programming language, timeframe, purpose, or other parameter is crucial for 21st-century survival.

If a student is designing a kit that helps test water quality for third-world communities but instead finds instead a way to use Google Maps to help certain communities share water cleaning technology instead. This is a pivot and is how creativity works.

Building an app to help people find restaurants, but find out people use it more to set up lunch dates with friends? Pivot.

Trying to build an art museum, and find an incredible source of collectible books instead? Pivot.

When students can ‘pivot’ within the development of a project, it shows they’re able to see both the micro details and the macro context–which is a pretty remarkable assessment in and of itself.

7. Socialization

This is ideally accomplished through an authentic purpose and audience, but there’s more to it than that.

See also Using Authentic Audience In Project-Based Learning

The socialization of thinking by connecting, collaborating, publishing, and socially curating (see more on that below). Ideally, this would be done in multiple media forms and in multiple languages if possible. The English and Angle-centric image of education–and of edtech especially–is rapidly coming to a close.

Not all aspects of all projects need to be socialized, but for the sake of transparency and shared journeys in education, choosing something to share, socialize, and perhaps even collaborate on in the future can be powerful.

8. Elegant Curation

Crude curation is saving an email, favoriting a tweet, or pinning randomly to a board no one reads that students will never reference again in the future for anything.

Elegant curation is about saving a ‘thing’ while honoring the thing itself. Showcasing it without losing its meaning or fullness. Somehow capturing both that which is being saved and its context as well–and doing so in a way that makes it accessible to yourself and others as technology continues to change.

8 Needs For Project-Based Learning In The 21st Century

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Terrell Heick

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January 21, 2024