The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast 262: Three Fresh Strategies That Get Students Engaged With Texts
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Oct 26, 2025 Susan Barber, a high school English teacher in Atlanta, and Brian Sztabnik from Long Island, co-authors of "100% Engagement," dive into innovative strategies to revive student interest in texts. They share engaging methods like 'Cutting Up Poetry,' where students reconstruct poems to spark discussions, and the 'Inferential Timeline' activity that encourages deeper understanding through peer summaries. They also explore 'Text Rendering,' helping students break down passages for clearer insights, all designed to make learning dynamic and collaborative.
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Twitter Chat Sparked A Teaching Community
- Brian started an AP Lit Twitter chat a decade ago that grew into a teacher community and resources like blogs and Facebook groups.
- That online community inspired workshops and the collaborative book project with Susan Barber.
Give Teachers Practical, Adaptable Templates
- Provide ready-to-use, classroom-tested lesson templates with variations for scaffolding and language learners.
- Include objectives, materials, procedures, and adaptation options so teachers can implement quickly.
Create Conditions For Student-Led Learning
- Engagement grows when teachers set conditions for student-led learning rather than acting as sole knowledge dispensers.
- Active, collaborative tasks and varied modalities invite fuller participation and ownership of meaning.
