5) There is what is known as an energy meter with which we can measure how engaged students are at any given moment. When we are open to feeling this 'energy meter', it is so palpable. When the energy meter registers low, boredom, feeling of alienation sets in. This signals a juncture for change. An experienced teacher knows the importance of including the students in deciding what course of action to take next. The class management practice used at such juncture may include: clarifying a point students are stuck on, encouraging them to persevere, providing a larger context for what students are learning so that they can see how beneficial the activity is, expanding student understanding by connecting where they are to where they need to go, moving to the next level of activity when comprehension for the current material clearly exists, and asking for student insights and adapting the next course of action to their needs. The more we become atuned to this "energy meter" more adept we become to keeping the enthusiasm and joy of learning high. Students instinctively know when the teacher is speaking the truth. Acknowledge what is true and shift the students' mental state through inspired words. Including the students in decision-making need not lead to negotiations or protracted discussion. When we develop the ability to accurately diagnose student readiness, this becomes a rather quick, smooth transition.