ESSENTIAL QUESTION: HOW DO WE KEEP OUR LESSONS ENGAGING? DOES INNOVATION PLAY A PART IN THIS?
According to an article written by University of Washington (2019) research has shown that engaging students in the learning process increases their attention and focus, motivates them to practice higher-level critical thinking skills and promotes meaningful learning experiences. While this information was applied to older students (college) in this article the same is very applicable to teaching younger students. Active learning has been shown to be effective in keeping lessons engaging for students from kindergarten to college age. Students should be engaged in the lesson instead of passively listening to information (Engaging Students in Learning, 2019).
As discussed in an article written by Tristan de Frondeville (2009), there are 10 basic rules for engagement. I will give a brief overview of 4 of them. First, start class with a mind warm-up. For older students an example of this could be to put them in teams and have them work to find grammatical mistakes in a given sentence or paragraph. Second, use movement to get kids focused to get kids initially engaged or reestablish engagement part way through a lesson. For primary grades we can teach a hand-clapping or foot stomping pattern to a set of math facts. For older students you can do a call and response with the class to get their brains stimulated and paying attention to changes in the pattern (Frondeville, 2009).
Thirdly, a teacher can pull sticks with a student’s name so each student has the opportunity to answer a question. Ensuring a fair and supportive classroom environment will allow students to take risks without fear of being teased. Using this method will prevent the same student from always answering. This technique can also be used to see if any student is struggling to understand the material and may be trying to hide and not answer any questions (Frondeville, 2009). Lastly, don’t use the same teaching style for every lesson. Moving from teacher-centered learning to student-centered active learning will keep students engaged and on their toes (Frondeville, 2009).
With these in mind it is also important to remember that something simple like transition can kill an engaging lesson. Students will notice that a teacher isn't flowing seamlessly from one lesson or part of a lesson to another. This will give them an opportunity to become disengaged and make it difficult for the teacher to regain control of the classroom. To avoid this transitions should be practiced and written into a lesson just like the lesson material (Burgess 2012).
With these in mind it is also important to remember that something simple like transition can kill an engaging lesson. Students will notice that a teacher isn't flowing seamlessly from one lesson or part of a lesson to another. This will give them an opportunity to become disengaged and make it difficult for the teacher to regain control of the classroom. To avoid this transitions should be practiced and written into a lesson just like the lesson material (Burgess 2012).
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach like a Pirate: Increase Students Engagement, Boost your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting.
Frodenville, T. (2009, August 3). How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips
Frodenville, T. (2009, August 3). How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips
Engaging Students in Learning. (2019). Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://www.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-resources/engaging-students-in-learning/
Good thoughts.
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