Engagement

What does an engaging classroom look like?

I came across this quote this week and it is something that I strongly believe as an educator.

“If you truly want to engage kids, you have to pull back on control and create the conditions in which they can tap into their own inner motivations.”

            Daniel Pink 

How do we know the difference between compliant and engaged?  A compliant classroom is one where each student is following the verbal or written directions, looking at the speaker, doing the same tasks as each of their classmates.  An engaged classroom looks a bit different.  

I challenge you to rethink the way students demonstrate their learning in your classroom.  Each child can be held accountable using the same objective, but how they demonstrate their knowledge can be different.  Below are three critical features of an engaged classroom.  They all have to do with the students having a say in how they demonstrate what they have learned.

Personal Response-Students have the opportunity to share their own opinions and feelings.  They are able to share and demonstrate their learnings that may be different from another students.

Choice- Students are given the opportunity to choose how they will demonstrate their learning. Teachers can play on the student's multiple intelligences and special talents.  Not every product needs to be the same as long as the same objective is being met.  One student can display their learning making an iMovie while another is creating a brochure.  One group may choose to act out their learnings and another might create a song.

Sense of Audience-Students are demonstrating their learning for an audience bigger than their teacher.  They know the assignment will be presented to the class, taught to another students, or even shared on the class website.  They take a more serious approach to the expectation of having their work displayed and shared for others to review.

Clear/Modeled Expectations-Do the students understand the objective?  Even with personal response, choice, and sense of audience, if students truly understand what is being asked of them, they can meet or even surpass the objective.  Having a checklist or a rubric, in which the teacher creates with the students, helps students define the task at hand and the expectations of how they will meet the objective (no matter how they choose to demonstrate their learning).

When students are given these opportunities their creativity and passions run wild.  They are much more independent in the learning and it allows the teacher to have a deeper perspective of the strengths and areas of improvement  of their student.  Take a moment to try one of these engaging qualities in your classroom.  You will not be disappointed in the outcome!