Enhancing Students' Active Classroom Engagement

in Teacher and Learner Discussion

Action Research Plan

Requirement in Field Study 2

(Participation and Teaching Assistantship)

I. Context and Rationale

Active engagement in class enhances critical and higher level thinking abilities as

well. Students who participate regularly in class are constantly engaged with the

information and are more likely to recall a bigger chunk of it. Students that participate in

class have studied the subject matter in-depth enough to explain new ideas to their

classmates. Beyond mere text comprehension, this degree of thinking can help with

memory. Students that participate can also benefit from one another's knowledge, which

enhances comprehension through teamwork. In turn, this can strengthen bonds

between students and between students and instructors.

Active learning-based strategies are a good choice. Active learning can be

defined as the process of learning through engagement with the subject matter. It

implies that students are engaging with the subject in any way that encourages active

thought, such as through "activities" for learning or by re-framing the note-taking

procedure to encourage considering the material rather than simply recording it. While

there are many different definitions of active learning, they all have some priorities:

students are engaged in activities that encourage higher-order thinking, such as

discussion, debate, and the application of concepts, and they are doing more than just

listening (such as critical thinking, analysis etc)

According to a study into learning-centered approaches to education,

students learn more when they participate in the process of learning. Active learning

is discussion, practice, review, or application. Active learning encourages your

brain to activate cognitive and sensory networks, which helps process and store new

information. Claire Hoogendoorn, New York City College of Technology wrote a good

introductory article on the neuroscience of active learning. She summarized several

studies, writing, “...learning is enhanced when multiple neural pathways are activated at

the same time. In plain terms, the more we can activate students’ brains in different

ways, the more they learn. This means that engaging as many sensory,

cognitive, emotional, and social processes in students will increase their

learning potential.” When given the opportunity to actively engage with the

information they’re learning, students perform better. It nurtures the brain, giving it

an extended opportunity to connect new and old information, correct previous

misconceptions, and reconsider existing thoughts or opinions. Even though some

students commented that their participation doesn’t enhance their learning, the

sizable number who indicated the role others ‘comments play in their

learning validates the importance of encouraging participation from a broader

range of students than might normally volunteer. Further, students who assert they

learn better by listening can be encouraged to participate at least a moderate amount to

contribute to the learning of others, Justas they benefit from others’ contributions.

Although not comprehensive, these recommendations illustrate the breadth of

strategies instructors can use to increase learning through discussion (Elise

Dallimore., et, al, March 2017).

The goal of increasing participation is not to have every student participate in the

same way or at the same rate. Instead, it is to create an environment in which all

participants have the opportunity to learn and in which the class explores

issues and ideas in-depth, from a variety of viewpoints. Some students will raise their

voices more than others; this variation is a result of differences in learning preferences

as well as differences in personalities. For example, some students who do not speak

often in class are reflective learners, who typically develop ideas and questions in

their minds before speaking; others are shy students who feel uncomfortable

speaking in front of groups (at least initially).Many students who frequently volunteer to

contribute are active learners, who typically think while they speak. The instructor’s goal

is to create conditions that enable students of various learning preferences and

personalities to contribute. To reach this goal, you will need to take extra steps to

encourage quiet students to speak up and, occasionally, ask the more verbose students

to hold back from commenting in order to give others a chance (WU St.Louis, 2021).

II. Action Research Question

1. What can be done to increase students' active participation in class

discussions with teachers and other students?

2. How can the students participate more actively in class discussions?

3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of engaging in classroom discussion?

III. Proposed Innovation, Intervention Strategy

 To build on what the students already know, we must first assess their past

knowledge before designing the classes. Students will feel more successful and

engaged when new material is related to what they already understand. Student

collaboration must then be allowed. Student participation can be greatly enhanced by

providing opportunities for group projects or even in-class discussions about a particular

idea. Giving students a conversation subject and a short period of time to quickly turn

and talk with a partner is a great teaching approach known as "Turn and Talk."

Afterward, give students an assignment to complete during your sessions. Give the

class a keyword they should keep an eye out for throughout the entire course; this might

be accompanied by a gesture or chant. The repetition helps students retain information

and keeps them interested in the material throughout the course. Let the students

decide how they want to study. Students tune out when they think their views are

unimportant.

IV. Action Research Methods

The descriptive approach will be used in this study to collect information on how

actively students participate in class, and instructional materials will be used to evaluate

students' performance.

A. Participants/Other Sources Data

The researcher first came up with a definition of involvement for this action

research study based on both academic literature and individual reflections. This study

places a high value on any student participation in the classroom that leads to different

interactions with the instructor and other students.

B. Data Gathering Methods

A discussion on the topic was held after the action plan was presented to the

students. The implementation of the suggested actions was agreed upon. Depending on

the student group, the action plan's duration varied, but it was at least one month long.

A survey was conducted to assess students' opinions of the action plan after it had been

put into practice in the classrooms. The survey had ten items, and each was given a

Likert score based on how much the respondent agreed with it (1 being the lowest

agreement and 4 the highest agreement).

C. Data Analysis Plan

After reflecting on the experience, the teachers who took part in it wrote down

their impressions, offering input on how the action plan developed, comments made by

students, and any other observations.

V. Action Research Work Plan

Active Classroom Discussion

Title Objectives Activities Individuals Success

Involved Indicator

To promote the Students Teacher Students will

idea that they should be and be able to

are accessible informed of the Student show their

 to everyone. objectives and progress

Enhancing procedures for during the

Students' each activity. lesson.

Active

Classroom

Engagement To provide an Requesting Teacher The students

in Teacher easy marking student and have the

and Learner participation by Student chance to

Discussion name interact with

their

classmates.

To encourage Allowing time Teacher Students will

students to to reflect and understand the

take more before Student purpose of

responsibility participating their education

for their

learning.

To serve as a

foundation for Invite absent- Teacher They

regularly minded and participated in

checking students to Student the lively class

learning during participate in

 discussion. the activity discussion.

VI. Cost Estimate

The price of the printed assessment form and the token that will be provided to

some other teachers will be used to determine the cost or investment of the study.

VII. Plan for Dissemination and Utilization

Prior to implementing this plan, each teacher held an information session where

they explained the research project to be conducted and, in turn, in particular, that one

of the action plan's objectives is to increase participation. Students were then informed

that an action plan would be implemented in their classes starting that week, and that it

would include the following four actions:

1. Students should be informed of the objectives and procedures for each

activity.

2. Requesting student participation by name

3. Allowing time to reflect before participating

4. Invite absent-minded students to participate in the activity

VIII. References

Smart Sparrow (2018) what is active learning? Retrieved

fromhttps://www.smartsparrow.com/what-is-active-learning/
Elise J. Dallimore, et, al. (March 207) How do students learn from participating inclass

discussion Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-

strategies/students-learn-participation-class-discussion/

Washington University in St. Louis (2021) Increasing student participation

Retrieved from https://ctl.wustl.edu/resources/increasing-student-participation/