Your lesson plan is solid… but some days, the energy just isn’t there.
Creating Motivation by Chaz Pugliese is a practical guide for those moments and many others. It’s packed with ready-to-use activities and strategies designed to help you build a classroom where students actually want to participate.
The book focuses on three key areas:
Group processes – helping students feel comfortable, connected, and develop a sense of belonging.
Priming – getting learners focused and ready to engage from the very start of the lesson.
Surprise and stimulation – keeping things fresh, challenging, and meaningful.
Instead of quick fixes or gimmicks, this book takes a deeper (but still very practical) approach: motivation grows when students feel safe, involved, and mentally present. And that’s something you can actively create. You’ll find activities that are easy to set up, adaptable to different levels, and designed to bring more awareness, interaction, and genuine engagement into your classroom.
Lair’s tip: You don’t have to apply everything at once, just try one short priming activity at the start of your lesson to see how it works. It might feel like a small change, but it often shifts the whole atmosphere, and suddenly, students are actually there and ready to learn.
