The Rossi Teaching Approach for Vulnerable Students

Venturing Together: Empowering Students to Succeed

Looking for an outside the box teaching approach?

In Venturing Together, Bill Rossi gives you the tools you need to establish trust with vulnerable students so you can venture into learning together.

Read Venturing Together to learn how to:

  • accommodate the full range of learning styles through mutli-dimensional teaching
  • create an environment of inclusion
  • acknowledge students for who they are
  • foster attitudes of mutual respect
  • empower students towards self-education
  • keep vulnerable/marginalized students engaged and growing
  • provide the architecture for directed, purposeful creativity

Rossi's creative teaching approach cuts beneath students' challenges to ignite the life force -- or, to be exact, the creative spirit. This empowers students to develop the essential skills and abilities necessary for real learning ... what Rossi calls The Principles of Empowerment. These skills include:

- The student's relationship to himself: Ability to concentrate; Level of motivation; Self-confidence to succeed; Ability to tolerate frustration; Consistency of effort.

- The student's relationship to the teacher: Listens to the teacher; Understands directions; Communicates needs; Communicates ideas.

- The students relationship to skills development: Shows respect for environment and equipment; Shows willingness to try new steps; Displays freedom in self-expression; Recognizes patterns; Shows ability to build on previous learning; Incorporates elements of the skill.

The approach is available for anyone wanting to access and utilize their creativity.

Venturing Together contains two parts (look-inside Part I and Part II):
Book/Part I - Fanning an Inner Flame: A Case for the Effectiveness of the Creative Arts in Human Services and Education
  • examines how early African Americans dug deep into the arts to survive the adversity of slavery
  • pinpoints why creativity is an essential element for empowering at risk students
Book/Part II - Enlivening the Creative Spirit: A Strength-Based Educational and Mentoring Approach using the Creative Arts
  • describes the essential qualities and principles needed for a healthy mentoring relationship
  • describes the essential qualities, principals and environment required for dynamic strength-based teaching
  • provides specific approaches and orientations for effective strength-based teaching

Reviews for Venturing Together


Roger Wayne

Coatesville, PA


I think Venturing Together is brilliant. You have crystallized the problem and a very viable solution.

Waner de C. Braga, M.D.

Albany, NY


This volume is well worth reading. By providing the tools to reach a person's underlying spirit, or essence, Bill Rossi's approach enables teachers to bring forth aspects of students' being that truly humanize them.

Kathryn Gerbino, Ph.D.

Assistant District Superintendent of Instruction, Capital Region BOCES, NY


This volume provides valuable, specific tools for anyone wanting to creatively enhance their ability to teach or mentor. Bill’s approach is very effective – I hope it contributes to educational and social reform.

James Harvey

Senior Fellow, Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington; co-author, A Legacy of Learning


Bill Rossi reminds us that young people cannot grow up complete unless art, music and creativity are part of their lives, and demonstrates how to bring out the best in students with specific instructional approaches encouraging mentoring, strength-based teaching, motivation, and putting students first. What he demonstrates is that effective education is … about encouraging young people’s innate love of learning.

Veronica Jenkins

Administrative Manager, Chester County Family Academy, West Chester, PA


Venturing Together was amazing, for me. It was inspirational and has a huge out-of-the-box focus. Here in our educational system it’s like we’re in a bubble – everyone’s inside a bubble – and what Bill Rossi is doing is outside the box. It’s a huge vision! I loved that book so much I read it twice – I think he should write a second book!

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