Student Engagement

Joshua MillerBlytheville Middle School7th Grade MathStudent EngagementDiscussionWhat does engagement look like?How do you use engagement in the classroom?How can you redirect student behavior in the event a student becomes disengaged?

What is Active Engagement?Refers to the joint functioning of motivation, conceptual knowledge, cognitive strategies, and social interactions in literacy activitiesInvolves providing opportunities for students to meaningfully talk and listen, write, read, and reflect on the content, ideas, issues and concerns of an academic subject.

Active Engagement and MotivationFactors affecting the development of extrinsic motivation in a school setting:ComplianceRecognitionGradesFactors affecting the development of intrinsic motivation in a school setting:Level of challenge offered by tasks and materialsQuality and timing of feedback to students about heir workSupports and scaffolds available to learnersStudents interest in tasks and contentNature of the learning context

How can I engage my students?Have multiple student-teacher interactionsBe an effective teacherUse different strategies to engage your studentswHave effective classroom management skillsDistractions cause troublePlan carefully, have deep knowledge of curriculumDeliver instruction effectivelyZone of Proximal Development

Student-Teacher InteractionThe most direct way to increase learning rate is by increasing the number of positive, or successful, instructional interactions per school day.It is important that students who need extra instruction to gain skill mastery get that instruction in a timely manner.After initial instruction, teachers need to determine who will benefit from reteaching or pre - teaching in small group and/or one-on-one.

What is an effective teacher?Awareness of purposeTask orientationHigh expectations for studentsEnthusiastic, clear, and directLessons consistently well preparedStudents on taskStrong classroom management skillsPredictable routinesSystematic curriculum-based assessment to monitor student progress

Knowledge of CurriculumKnow the components of your subjectInstructional content Instructional designStrategiesLearning styles, activitiesRoutinesHow will you transition?Sequence of InstructionDirect versus indirect instructionAssessmentsFormal or informal?

Active Engagement and Direct InstructionComponents of Interactive Direct Instruction Teacher-directed learning.Teacher serves as the instructional leader for students, actively selecting and directing or leading the learning activities.High levels of teacher-student interaction.Students spend their time interacting with the teacher either individually or as part of a group as opposed to spending most of their time in independent study or seatwork.Zone of Proximal DevelopmentCreated by Vygotsky.The difference between what an apprentice can do without guidance and what he or she can do when assisted.The teachers role is to assist the students in moving through the zone to become expert users of their new knowledge and skills.Always maintain at least a 6-10 foot distance between studentsAnything above 10 feet may cause distraction and disengaged learnersScaffoldingTemporary devices and procedures used by teachers to support students as they learn new strategiesTo scaffold effectivelyAnticipate student errorsStudents tend to struggle and will need that extra assistanceConduct teacher guided practicevary the context and difficulty of the task within the assignment between your strong and struggling learnersProvide feedbackdirectly from the teacher, or through peer observationsRecognize when it is appropriate to fade scaffolds

DiscussionWhat are some ways you can keep engagement up now?Will you change anything in your classroom routines or transitions?You have five minutes to come up with a scenario in which one person is the student and one person is the teacher. The student will become disengaged during class time.The teacher will implement strategies to encourage the student to become engaged.The audience will critique and come up with alternative solutions to keep the class engaged.ReferencesActive engagement strategies: http://curry.virginia.edu/reading-projects/projects/garf/Georgia%20Active%20Engagement%20Strategies.ppt