Student Engagement

Student Engagement
Students are actively, as opposed to passively, involved in the lesson.  Where, through scaffolding and support, the outcome is that the students have personal ownership over the content covered and can access it again on their own.

Student engagement has to do with...

• the relationship between student and teacher.
• the students having a voice in their education.
• student and adult partnership.
• students as evaluators.

How to Fully involve students in lessons....

• Anticipatory set
• cooperative teaching assignments 
• Assignments that involve physically moving around the room
• Interactive PowerPoint presentations (students using remotes to answer question from their desks)
• Interactive notebooks
• Having students come up with the exam questions
• Incorporating personal experiences of students into lectures and assignments
• Incorporating parent interviews into homework assignments
• Pause throughout lecture to have students respond to a quick write question 
• Invite students to join an advisory group
• Post question for internet discussion forum 
• Always bring the topic back to the students, how it relates to them, the real world, etc.
• Posing true/false questions to which the class responds to by holding their thumbs up or down
• True/false questions BEFORE a lecture is an interesting way to help the students with preconceived notions 
• Asking students to raise previously-made flash cards in response an identification question
• Example: Students hold a picture of the Supreme Court Building, the Capital Building, and the White House to answer review questions on the powers of government
• Use a variety of visual, auditory, kinesthetic modalities.  If possible, using AV supplements, incorporating demonstrations and provocative questions