Student Engagement Tips

My favorite five tips on raising student engagement in the classroom.

My students don't care!

Too often, we see students who just to seem to care.  They just aren't motivated!  But that's a myth...all students are motivated, just not by what we want them to be motivated!  The key is to look beyond the surface and determine their motivating factors.

Students are motivated by two things:  value and success.  So if they don't seem motivated, either they don't see the relevance of the subject, or they aren't interest in the types of learning activities, or they haven't connected with the teacher.  That's the value aspect.

Students also need to feel successful.  Many times, we teach students who have never been successful in an academic setting.  So we need to provide opportunities for them to experience success.  Giving them questions for which there is no wrong answer is one option, and chunking larger assignments into small bites is another. 

Remember, value and success.  That's the formula for motivating students!

Success in any area requires constantly readjusting your behavior as a result of feedback.  Michael Gelb

Do your students adjust what they are doing based on your feedback?  Do you adjust based on what you see?  Isn't that the purpose of formative assessment?

The Common Core State Standards and Text Complexity

Looking for help providing support for students with the Common Core State Standards and text complexity? 

One of the areas of emphasis in the new Common Core State Standards is to move students to higher levels of text materials. Supporting students to read and learn at higher levels of text can be challenging, especially if you teach students who are reading below grade level. However, the Common Core State Standards require that we move students to higher levels of text. Providing extra help and scaffolding becomes a critical aspect of helping students succeed. There are three simple ways you can scaffold learning for your students.

Modeling

The first effective strategy is to model for students. In addition to thinking out loud, or talking students through your own learning process, you can model by providing a list of steps to follow as they read. For younger students, at-risk students, English Language Learners, or students with special needs, adding a picture to those steps is helpful.


Read the full article at Suite101 here.

It's All About MEE-Motivation, Engagement, and Expectations

Did you attend today's webinar?  I had a great time, and it was awesome to see the comments teachers and leaders contributed to the discussion.  Our main topic: three components to help students learn more effectively are motivation, engagement, expectations. Remember, you can connect with me through my e-newsletter (link to the right), Twitter (BarbBlackburn, #edrigor) or my website www.barbarablackburnonline.com.  Be sure to check out all the free resources on the site.

I promised a couple of follow-up pieces, which can be used whether you attending the webinar or not.  This blog post discusses motivation and ties it to rigor (high expectations)

Student motivation=value+success.
For success, it's important to scaffold learning.  Here's information and an activity that is perfect!
 
A great way to help students see the value of learning is through a scavenger hunt.  Here's an example from Chad Maguire (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) for a math classroom:

Sample Scavenger Hunt Items

n Dimensions in inches (length and width) of the newspaper n An advertisement for 20% off
n An article from the sports page with some kind of statistic n A fraction printed in a newspaper or magazine
n A food nutrition label that shows 2 grams of protein  
n Picture of a dozen of something
n Title of a song with a number in it (and artist)
n Book with a number in the title (and author)
n Number of points a football team has if they score a touchdown, an extra point, a safety, and a field goal
n Sum of all the ages of the members of your immediate family
n The Roman numeral for 5,000
n Three nursery rhymes with the number 3 in the title
n The three-digit number in the Dewey decimal system for individual
biographies
n Number of squares on a standard checkerboard
n Number of fluid ounces in a gallon of milk
n Picture of a person wearing a shirt with a number on it
n Number of miles from your house to the school
n A coupon for 25% off
n A picture of an automobile license plate with the number 5 on it  
n A picture of a clock showing half-past the hour
n Picture of a speed limit sign with the number 5 on it.
n The number of pages in your math textbook. Count all pages! 

I'd probably add or substitute some internet or mobile learning devices application, but this gives you a starting point. 


We also discussed active engagement of learners.  We simply didn't have time to discuss this as deeply as I would have liked, so let me give you two more resources for more information.  Eye on Education offers free excerpts from my books.  Classroom Instruction A to Z includes a full chapter on student engagement, including more examples!

Finally, high expectations for students.  Here are three blog posts on that very subject!
High Expectations for EACH or ALL 
High Expectations Part Two
High Expectations
Helping Students Develop High Expectations 


Thanks again to everyone who attended!  Have a fabulous day, knowing you are making a difference--even if you don't feel like it.

Motivating and Engaging Students

I'm so excited to do a one hour webinar Tuesday, January 24 from 4:30-5:30 for Eye on Education.  Topics? Two Keys to Student Motivation, 5 Lessons About Student Engagement, Having High Expectations, and a quick way to motivate yourself!  Want more information? Click here!

Ratcheting Up Reviews

Looking for some new ideas for reviewing content for your students?  My December newsletter is out and there are strategies and resources for teachers, and a special plan for principals.  Sign up using the button on the right--I'll be resending it throughout the week to new subscribers.  Also, if you haven't seen the earlier issues on motivation and engagement as well as Rigor and the Common Core State Standards, click "View Our Archives" to check them out.  Have a great day knowing that you are making a difference for someone today!

All I Ever Needed to Know About Student Engagement

I recently read Robert Fulgham’s poem, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. I thought, all I ever needed to know about student engagement I learned watching a kindergarten teacher.

All I Ever Needed To Know About Student Engagement I Learned Watching a Kindergarten Teacher
Make it fun, and learning happens.
Build routines, and everyone knows what to expect.
Keep students involved, and they stay out of trouble.
Make it real, and students are interested.

Work together, and everyone accomplishes more.





Anything you would add?

What does student engagement look like?

What exactly is student engagement? I recently read a comment from a teacher on an Internet bulletin board. He said that his students seemed to be bored, and after talking with them, he realized that they were tired of just sitting and listening. He said they wanted to be more involved in their learning. I was excited to read further. The teacher said he decided then to “change how I teach, so now I make sure I do one activity each month with my class.” How sad. That means 19 days each month of class with no activities. Unfortunately, that describes many classrooms today.

Don’t misunderstand me. There is a place in teaching and learning for lectures and explanations and teacher-led discussions. But somehow, many teachers fall into the trap of believing that lecturing at or explaining to works. Perhaps it comes from our own experiences. Many of our teachers taught that way; it’s what we saw most of the time. But how many of those teachers were outstanding or inspiring educators? Not many. I had several great teachers, and none of them taught like that. What I do remember is that the older I got, the more I was talked at.

Where did that idea come from—the idea that as children grow up, they should be less involved in their own learning? Let’s be clear on some basic points:
§  Although kids can be engaged in reading, reading the textbook or the worksheet and answering questions is not necessarily engaging.
§  Although kids can be engaged in listening, most of what happens during a lecture isn’t engagement.
§  Although kids working together in small groups can be engaging, kids placed in groups to read silently and answer a question isn’t. Activities in groups where one or two students do the work aren’t engagement. Small groups don’t guarantee engagement just like large groups don’t automatically mean disengagement. 


So, what does it mean to be engaged in learning? In brief, it really boils down to what degree students are involved in and participating in the learning process. So, if I’m actively listening to a discussion, possibly writing down things to help me remember key points, I’m engaged. But if I’m really thinking about the latest video game and I’m nodding so you think I’m paying attention, then I’m not. It is that simple. Of course, the complexity is dealing with it.

Why Does Rigor Have to Be Hard?

I was asked this question during a presentation last week.  When I was a college professor, I told my students "Don't make it harder than it has to be."  I feel the same way about rigor.  Between all the difference perspectives of rigor, the belief that rigor is only for advanced classes, the new Common Core State Standards, and general feelings of being overwhelmed, no wonder teachers think rigor is hard.

I believe rigor can be EASY.   Rigor is:
Engaging to all students.  The traditional model of "sit and get" does not actively engage students in learning, and will not allow them to apply the higher order thinking skills needed to meet the new Common Core State Standards.

Accommodating to all learners.  Rigor is for everyone, not just a certain group of students.  Rigor may look a bit different for honors students compared to students who are English language learners, but a rigorous environment provides for all groups.

Scaffolds learning.  If we simply raise the bar for students without providing the needed scaffolding and support, then we are setting them up for failure. 

Yields results.  Sometimes we are so focused on what we need to do to increase rigor, we forget the goal:  to help students learn at higher levels.  That's the ultimate focus of rigor.

Those four components can help you build a rigorous classroom.  And, you don't have to add extra to what you are doing now.  You are probably already focusing on improving student engagement, meeting the needs of all learners through support and scaffolding, and helping students learn.  And that is rigor!

Building Blocks for Success

Students are  motivated when they believe they have a chance to be successful.  Too often, we have students who have never been successful in a school setting. Students need to set and achieve goals in order to build a sense of confidence, which leads to a willingness to try something else, which in turn begins a cycle that leads to higher levels of success. Success leads to success, and the achievements of small goals are building blocks to larger goals.

Part of raising expectations is to help students believe they can be successful. There are many ways you can build students’ confidence in themselves.  Here's a few:

• Provide questions or assignments that are open-ended and for which there is no wrong answer. This also provides another opportunity to get to know each student.
• Provide additional support during lessons, such as graphic organizers, learning guides, etc.
• Use multiple intelligences activities linked to students’ strengths.
• Encourage students and provide feedback and praise that reinforces their efforts, not just the final product. 

How can you help a student be more successful, and therefore more confident in their learning?

Which word do you hear more from your students?

"Success comes in cans, failure in can'ts." -  Unknown

Towards a New Kind of Intelligence: Social and Emotional Learning Programs by Lauren Beebe

Thanks for the great feedback on Lauren's post yesterday about storytelling.  Here's more for you! 

Class Discussions that Don't Fizzle by Arthur Ellis

Ever struggle with classroom discussions?  Arthur Ellis has several great tips!

Motivating Students? It's All About Them!

Published in Momentum magazine from the Catholic Association,  here's the article I co-wrote with Abbigail Armstrong.  It includes several quick-and-easy classroom activities you can use immediately!

Tips for Creating a Student-Centric Classroom by Heather Wolpert-Gawron

Once a week, I'm going to link to some of my favorite authors' blogs.  Heather has a great one on student-centric classrooms, which includes my perspective on student arrangement at the end.  Enjoy!

Do we really believe this?

Rigor + Motivation + Engagement = Student Success

During a workshop last month, someone asked me why I start my sessions talking about motivation and engagement. It's simple. I don't believe you can talk about rigor without discussing motivation and engagement. The three are interrelated circles, overlapping for optimal student success. Without considering motivation and engagement, students view rigor as "the same old thing, just harder". It's critical that we build a foundation of addressing student motivation as well as creating engaging lessons. With that strong foundation, then it's easy to add rigor into the mix.