THE

ENGAGING
OF STUDENTS
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INTRODUCTION
Within an educational context, engagement
means students directing their attention and
energy ‘in the moment’ towards a particular
task or activity. In the classroom, the term
‘engagement’ is often used to refer to the
extent of students’ active involvement in a
learning task.
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FOUR TYPES OF ENGAGEMENT

1.Behavioural engagement — the amount of
effort and involvement the student directs
towards the activity in terms of attention, effort
and persistence

2.Emotional engagement – the interest,

boredom, happiness, and other affective states
that affect learners’ sustained effort in learning
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3.Cognitive egagement — the nature and quality of learning

strategies used by the student; for example, using active strategies for
understanding (such as elaboration and organisation) rather than
superficial or more passive strategies (such as memorisation)

4.Agentic engagement — the extent of the

student’s proactive role in instruction; for example,
in terms of expressing preferences and needs.
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How to promote student engagement

High levels of engagement are supported by the
students’ interest in a task and in a specific
subject. Interest in the task influences students’
attention, persistence and — ultimately — their
acquisition of knowledge, skills and strategies.
Sometimes students hold a pre-existing interest in
the task, but often that interest will have to be
developed by the teacher’s instructional strategies
and learning materials.
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Teachers can also support engagement by

promoting experiences of success through
realistic goals, appropriate challenge and
constructive feedback that focuses on
comprehension, mastery and strategies, rather
than feedback which defines competence in
comparison to class performance.
References
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20 Student Engagement
Strategies for a Captivating
Classroom
1.Connect learning to the real world
We’ve all heard it before: “When am I ever going to use
this?” Answer this question and you’ll engage students with
content that they know is relevant to life beyond school. Use
anecdotes, case studies, and real-life examples from outside
the classroom to root your teaching in “the real world”.
2. Engage with your students’ interests 8

Learning what excites your students does more than just

engage them. You’ll build strong relationships and rapport,
too.
3. Fill “dead time”
“Dead time” is any point in a lesson where students are
left without something to do. You might be handing out
a worksheet, getting a presentation set up, or waiting
interminably for a YouTube video to load. These are
brief windows that leave just enough time for students
to tune out, after which time it can be very difficult to
get them back.
4.Use group work and collaboration 9

Collaborating with small groups gives students a

welcome break from solo bookwork. They’ll benefit from
each other’s perspectives and the ability to verbalize
their ideas.
5.Encourage students to present and share work
regularly
Giving students a regular opportunity to share their
thoughts and demonstrate learning in front of their
peers drives engagement in two ways:
6.Give your students a say 10

If you don’t know how to engage your students, let them

tell you! Give your students a say in classroom activity
by:

7.Get your students moving

If your students struggle to sit still for an entire lesson,
get them moving. All that pent-up energy can be
channeled into a learning activity that puts them on their
feet. Try the following.
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8.Read the room

If you’re steadily losing students to doodling, off-topic
chatter, and the pervasive “need to tear and ball up little
pieces of paper”, it’s time to shake things up.

9.Scaffold tasks with checkpoints

If you dump all your instructions on students at the start
of a lesson before turning them loose with an activity,
confusion and disengagement will likely follow.
10. Emphasize discovery and inquiry 12

Sometimes the best thing you can do for engagement is to

get out of your students’ way.

11.Ask good questions

Ask good questions of your students and you’ll drive
rich, engaging discussions that are open to everyone.

12.Allow for think time

It’s gratifying to see hands shoot up as soon as you ask
a question, but letting your students think it over has
two benefits.
13.Shake things up 13

Predictability is safe, but it can get boring. Mix up your

staple teaching strategies with new and novel activities
from time to time. Talk to other teachers for ideas.
14. Give brain breaks
Periodically give students a breather with brain breaks.
15.Be personable
Relationships and rapport are pillars of lasting
engagement, and you can’t have either without being
personable. This means getting to know your students
and letting them get to know you.
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16.Encourage friendly competition

Use in-class games, quizzes, or gamified learning
programs to engage students with friendly
competition.16.
17.Start lessons with introductory hooks
Engage students from the outset of your lesson with an
introductory hook.
18.Laugh together
Weaving humor throughout your lesson lightens the
mood and makes for a more fun experience.
19.Use mixed media 15

Present learning content in a variety of mediums,

including video, audio, and digital resources.

20.Gamify learning
Games are the most powerful source of engagement
for students outside of class, and they’re equally
effective at driving engagement in learning.
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THE END, THANK YOU AND GOD

BLESS EVERYONE 🙏