EP333: Engagement isn't extra: boredom busters that prime the brain for learning (with Katie Powell)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Angela Watson
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 7 September 2025
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Engagement is not the same as "fun." It's the foundation for meaningful and lasting learning.
Join me as I talk with Katie Powell, author of Boredom Busters: Transform Worksheets, Lectures, and Grading into Engaging, Meaningful Learning Experiences. Katie shares simple yet powerful strategies that help teachers transform their classrooms into spaces where students thrive. Whether you're trying to bring more fun into your lessons, address curriculum pressures, or manage student behavior during engaging activities, Katie's practical advice can help.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why engagement is essential for learning and how it primes the brain for retention.
- Simple strategies like "deploying worksheets differently" to make learning more interactive.
- How movement, humor, and creative activities reduce behavioral issues and improve focus.
- How to balance the demands of standardized curriculum pacing with engaging strategies.
- Practical ways to manage transitions and behavior during high-energy activities.
- How engagement fosters a sense of belonging, safety, and fun in the classroom.
- The value of empowering students to understand their own learning needs and self-regulation strategies.
- How to start with small, manageable shifts to make your teaching more engaging and effective.
Our conversation is packed with practical tips and real-world insights to help you make learning fun, meaningful, and memorable.
Book link: https://amzn.to/3JamUUJ Website: teachbeyondthedesk.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Episode 33 of Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers. |
| 0:10.0 | I'm your host, Angela Watson, and I'm here to speak encouragement into the hearts of educators |
| 0:15.0 | and get you informed and energized for the week ahead. |
| 0:19.0 | Today, I'm talking with author Katie Powell about engagement strategies |
| 0:22.7 | and her book, Boredom Busters. Visit truthforteachers.com for an easy-to-read, easy-to-share version |
| 0:29.7 | of this podcast episode. If, like most teachers, you have students in your class with ADHD, dyslexia, or other learning |
| 0:39.8 | differences, there's a podcast I want to put on your radar. It's called Opportunity Gap, and it's |
| 0:45.7 | hosted by Julian Savedra, an assistant principal with over 15 years of experience in public schools. |
| 0:51.9 | What I appreciate about this show is how it dives into real-world conversations that we don't always get in professional development. |
| 1:00.0 | Like what federal special ed funding actually means for your classroom, |
| 1:04.0 | or how to recognize signs of dyslexia, especially in students of color. |
| 1:08.0 | Julian interviews educators, psychologists, and legal experts, |
| 1:12.6 | but it's never dry or theoretical. It's always practical, heartfelt, and grounded in the realities of our work. |
| 1:19.6 | When I listened to the episode in IEP implementation, I kept thinking, yes, this is exactly the kind of support |
| 1:26.6 | the teachers need but rarely get. |
| 1:29.7 | So if you're looking to better serve your students with learning differences, |
| 1:33.1 | just search for Opportunity Gap in your favorite podcast app. |
| 1:37.2 | That's Opportunity Gap. |
| 1:41.3 | My guest today is Katie Powell. |
| 1:43.8 | She is the director for middle-level programs for AMLE, a membership |
| 1:49.1 | organization dedicated to supporting middle school educators. She's also the author of the book's |
| 1:54.9 | Bordembusters and frustration busters, among others, and she provides professional development |
... |
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