Opinion
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor

‘Outrageous’ Teaching Has a Residual Effect

September 15, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In his Aug. 12, 2009, letter to the editor responding to my Commentary “Boredom in Class? Try ‘Outrageous’ Instruction,” (edweek.org, July 13, 2009), Walt Gardner correctly writes that it takes more work to teach an “outrageous” lesson, or one that uses dramatic technique as the primary method for delivering existing content. Indeed, trying to teach such a lesson every day would be draining. But that frequency is not what I proposed.

Mr. Gardner accurately notes toward the end of his letter that I proposed teaching only two such lessons a year as a starting point, to which he expresses pessimism that doing so would have any sustained effect. I can only say that I typically observed classes for from three to four weeks after the individual outrageous lessons, and could still see a dramatic change in the relationship between the students and the teacher, and between the students and the content. In addition, when teachers gave a test at the end of a unit in which only the first lesson was taught outrageously, those classes did better than when all the lessons were taught conventionally.

While there clearly was a residual effect, I cannot say as a researcher whether there would be a cumulative effect three to four months later. Nor do we know what the overall positive cumulative impact on school and classroom culture would be if all teachers in a school gave two such lessons per year. But it would probably be considerable.

Of course, the alternative is to be cynical and not change, and continue to teach resistant, bored students every day conventionally—which is indeed a draining experience. So I would suggest that educators take a chance, teach two outrageous lessons this year, and compare their findings. I suspect that they will experience exhilaration—which is indeed an exhausting result, albeit a good one.

Stanley Pogrow

Professor of Educational Leadership

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, Calif.

A version of this article appeared in the September 16, 2009 edition of Education Week as ‘Outrageous’ Teaching Has a Residual Effect

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Want to Teach in Oklahoma? You May Have to Prove You're Not 'Woke'
The state is partnering with PragerU to develop an assessment for incoming educators.
3 min read
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters holds his hand over his heart during the National Anthem at inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 9, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters holds his hand over his heart during the National Anthem at inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 9, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Walters announced plans for a new test to screen teachers from states considered “woke.”
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Teaching Profession ‘You Can Lead Now’: Inside the NEA’s Plan to Engage New Teachers
In an aging workforce, the nation's largest teachers' union seeks ways to engage younger educators.
3 min read
Em DePriest of Kansas speaks on behalf of a proposal to create an early career teacher working group. Members of the National Education Association's Aspiring Educators Program move to bring an initiative to a vote during the NEA Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025.
Em DePriest, a teacher in Kansas, speaks in favor of a proposal to create an early-career teacher working group. Members of the National Education Association's Aspiring Educators program moved to bring the initiative to a vote during the NEA representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Can the National Education Association Win Over Republican Members?
Union leaders seek common ground with conservative teachers while managing an active, mostly liberal membership.
5 min read
The National Education Association's Republic Educators Caucus tabled at the NEA Representative Assembly on July 4, 2025, in Portland, Ore
The National Education Association's Republican Educators Caucus had a table at the NEA representative assembly on July 4, 2025, in Portland, Ore. The national teachers' union has been working to engage conservative teachers and communities.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Teachers Face New Burdens After Supreme Court LGBTQ+ Opt-Out Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling allowing parents to opt their children out of certain lessons could add new challenges for teachers.
6 min read
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the case of <i>Mahmoud</i> v. <i>Taylor</i> on April 22, 2025. The justices ruled that parents can exercise their religious right to have their children excused from LGBTQ-themed lessons, which has prompted new logistical and practical concerns among teachers.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP