October 15, 2021
With over 160.4K followers and 5M likes on TikTok, English Teacher, Josh Quinn (@Quinnglish) has generated quite the audience for his comic educational videos on the social platform which resurfaced as a global phenomenon during the pandemic last year. Referencing himself as the ‘CEO of email wars’, Josh often posts humorous videos that satirise common student-teacher interactions in and outside of the classroom. In recent videos, Josh teams up with Renaissance to share the benefits of Accelerated Reader (AR).
If there’s one thing TikTok education guru Josh has learned through his years of teaching, it’s that settling back into the classroom after a six-week summer break can sometimes be challenging. Whether your children are still in holiday mode or simply finding their way back to a structured routine, this educator from Blackpool has cracked the code for just about all the excuses students might use to avoid reading practice.
Dramatising his experience of outsmarting those students, Josh has all the words to motivate pupils to read for pleasure with our reading practice programme, Accelerated Reader.
A diverse reading tool, AR ensures that there are a variety of fiction and non-fiction books that cater to every students’ interests, regardless of their reading level. With tailored reading practice quizzes, Josh assures a reluctant group of pupils of AR’s ability to monitor each student’s literacy progress, improve their understanding of the book they are reading and instil an overall enjoyment of reading. In other words, it’s well worth the hype!
In a humorous three-part series of TikTok videos with Renaissance, Josh explains how Accelerated Reader is a great tool for reading practice.
Get motivated this new school year
It’s so important that teachers actively encourage their pupils to read. AR creates a culture of reading by encouraging students to read for pleasure, even amongst struggling and reluctant readers.
@quinnglish #ad Improve your reading with Accelerated Reader! #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teacherlife #school #student #readingisfundamental ♬ original sound – Josh Quinn
In this student-teacher dialogue, Josh re-enacts a classroom classic that many teachers experience every September: the summer slump. Whilst it may have taken you that little bit extra effort to reintroduce reading practice to your class at the beginning of the school year, one thing is for sure – when students read a topic or genre that they are interested in, that’s suited to their ability, they are more likely to engage and show enthusiasm towards reading practice.
Tailoring the reading experience to each students’ interests and abilities
@quinnglish #ad “I’m reading on my phone” #teacher #teacherproblems #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #school #schoollife #student #booktok #readingisfundamental ♬ original sound – Josh Quinn
Have you found that a student may be struggling to complete a book? Or perhaps they are ‘bored of reading’? As Josh advises here, find a book in that same genre that is suitably challenging, then quiz on AR until the student has improved, this way you are better equipped to monitor progress and make informed decisions to guide their future learning.
‘Email wars’ – test your students’ knowledge with personalised practice quizzes
@quinnglish HES GOING TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF #emailwars #harrypotter #dracotok #teacher #teachersoftiktok #student #school #readingisfundamental #renaissance ♬ original sound – sounds for slomo_bro!
In his most popular style video ‘email wars’, Josh goes back and forth with a student (who clearly hasn’t read the book) to test their knowledge of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. And yep, while it makes for a superb movie, there are those little facts and details that you just can’t pick up unless you’ve read the book. So, how might you get your students off to a great start with AR? Make sure they enjoy the book that they’re reading – instant feedback gives teachers the opportunity to praise students for their successes and earn points towards their individual targets.
As a certified member of the #teachersoftiktok, Josh continues to release those common classroom scenarios that every student and teacher can relate to. There’s no question as to why he holds the self-acclaimed title ‘CEO of email wars’, and here at Renaissance, we’re following him to see what he has in store next!