"The Surprising Power of Joy"

I recently heard Michael Ford, author and professor at UW-Oshkosh, speak at the Wisconsin State Reading Association.  His presentation was very refreshing and reconfirmed many of my own beliefs about teaching and learning.  Many teachers are feeling that the joy is being sucked out of education.  I was glad to see one educational researcher remind us of the power of playfulness and joy.  Plus I won a free book! Here is a post from ASCD about his new book:

• 
  
• Engaging Minds in the Classroom: The Surprising Power of Joy Authors Michael Opitz and Michael Ford share their discoveries about planning lessons that engage students and enable them to truly enjoy learning. The authors outline key findings from research on motivation and engagement and offer real-life teaching examples and strategies to bring joy to the classroom. Opitz and Ford give particular care to the non-cognitive factors that are important in a whole child approach to education. ($16.95 print; $12.95 member price) Read a sample chapter.