The Engagement by Design Playbook

Design learning environments where every student chooses to actively engage

Every teacher dreams of a classroom buzzing with curiosity, but creating genuine engagement is tough, especially alongside today’s endless distractions. If you've ever felt like you're pulling teeth to get a hand raised, you aren't alone! The Engagement by Design Playbook helps K-12 educators shift from demanding compliance to cultivating real curiosity.

Rather than treating engagement as a switch that’s simply “on” or “off,” this hands-on guide shows you how to intentionally design environments where students feel they truly belong. Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Dominique Smith, and James Marshall explore building authentic teacher-student relationships, fostering clarity, introducing productive challenge, empowering student agency, and more.

Designed to be applied immediately, this playbook features:

• Engagement Attractors and Repellers to help you notice subtle signals that draw students in or push them away
• Ask a Bot prompts that act as your personal AI thinking partner for lesson design
• Start-Stop-Keep reflections to help you gracefully refine your teaching practice

By making these intentional shifts, you’ll learn to build an inviting classroom culture rooted in trust. Ultimately, your students will benefit by shifting from passive observers into confident contributors to their own learning journey.