What does it mean to have engaged students? Engagement is when students show interest, curiosity, and attention to a teacher’s lesson or activity. It means students are showing persistence, and making an effort toward completing a classroom task. A student is engaged when they are attending class, actively listening, participating in discussions, and following directions.
HOW DO YOU INCREASE ENGAGEMENT IN YOUR CLASSROOM?
It begins with creating rules and expectations that students buy into. The rules create an atmosphere of safety where students are protected from bullying and negative treatment from others. Make it clear that negative behaviors will not be accepted in your classroom and be clear what consequences will be when these rules are broken. Many teachers have found that including students in creating their own classroom rules is very effective in getting students to buy in.
Connect to your students on a personal level. This is not always easy in large classrooms, where one-on-one time with a student is rare. Many teachers connect well with their students through journaling. Have students write about their lives, what is important to them and how they feel about school. You can find out quite a bit about your students and journaling will give them an avenue for expressing their individuality.
Encourage students to be original and own their own learning. Assign projects where students can respond in their own way and explore by following their curiosity.
Encourage students to work with their peers on an assignment. Many of us have had the experience of working on a group project that did not end well. Either we ended up doing all the work, or we are given a grade based on the work of our partners. Try something more equitable. Assign a different part of a project to each student in a group. One student may do research on the history of space travel, another student can research astronauts and their backgrounds, and another may report on the science behind rocket lift. Then have them work together on a poster expressing everything they have learned about travel in space.
Create a project where students can respond in a personal way. In “Strengthening Student Engagement: What do Students Want”, a ceramics teacher had students look at ceramics found in the homes of ancient civilizations and then design their own ceramics to express the needs in their own home.
Have students review a subject with a combination of group work and fun competition. Competition can be discouraging for students who struggle. To take the pressure of achievement off these students, create a task card game where students work as a team to review a topic. Break students into groups where they can work together to solve problems. Assign a runner to bring their answer to the teacher. If they successfully complete the task, give them the next task card in a series. If they have an incorrect answer, send them back to the group to try again. The first group or first 2 or 3 groups to finish all task cards can be given a prize. Students get excited and work together when they know helping each other can move them more quickly toward their goal. This works especially well in math classes.
Teachers are often overwhelmed with work and don’t have the time to create these creative projects. No need to reinvent the wheel! Talk to other teachers in your subject area and share resources. Look on Teachers Pay Teachers and find something that’s already been created.
If you are a 7th grade Math teacher, review these units with a competition game. If you want a competition game created for your subject, please let me know. Click on “Subscribe” on the home page and type in what you would like!
Expressions and Equations Race
Ratios Proportions and Graphing Race
