I don't know about you, but I often like to be in control of situations I may find myself in. This includes situations in both my personal life and professional life. I think it is just human nature to want some control over our environment. The truth is, some things are under our control and others are not.
What I can control (and you can too), or at the very least influence, is what goes on between the hours of 8 am and 2pm within our classrooms. Once a student goes home, we have lost some of the ability to impact their academic and social emotional growth. We do hope that our students complete their homework, read, eat healthy, and get a good night's rest. Most do, but sadly some don't.
From 8:00- 2:00 however, we have the awesome ability to positively impact students in such a way that it may change their path in life. That is amazing! Talk about control and power! Whohooo! : )
How is it that we can have such awesome power? The answer is engagement. We can find ways to make sure our students are continually engaged in learning while in our classrooms. There are even perks that come with this power called engagement. In engaged classrooms, there are fewer behavior issues, less academic issues, and students care. Students are interested and motivated to learn.
10 Rules of Engagement to Consider...
- Start Class with a Mind Warm-Up
- Use Movement to Get Kids Focused
- Teach Students How To Collaborate Before Expecting Success
- Use Quickwrites When You Want Quiet Time or Reflection
- Run a Tight Ship When Giving Instructions
- Use a Fairness Cup to Keep Students Thinking
- Use Signaling to Allow Everyone to Answer Your Question
- Use Minimal-Supervision Tasks to Squeeze Dead Time Out of Routines
- Mix Up Your Teaching Styles
- Create Teamwork Tactics That Emphasize Accountability
To read more about these tips with an explanation of what they look like in the classroom, please visit:
http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips
You will also find additional resources on engagement including a short video. As you look at this research, reflect on how you keep students engaged in your own classroom. You may find you have more power and control than you ever imagined!
Happy Reading!
Check out the formative assessment activities article that I put in your mailbox...it has great ideas for promoting engagement and active learning. : ) Heidi
ReplyDeleteI believe that we are very fortunate to have the pleasure and the privilege of teaching our next generation! It is delightful to see the first graders learn all about their world. There is nothing like watching children realize that they have become readers and writers! Seeing the looks on their faces when then can actually understand print for themselves is priceless! (For everything else, there is Mastercard!)
ReplyDeleteAs my husband reminds me frequently...we teachers have a job that actually makes a difference! Happy Teaching! Mary
And you make a difference everyday! Thank you for that...and the master card comment made me laugh. : )
ReplyDeleteI love that your brought up "the next generation". This is my own personal goal in life: To teach the next generation. I was recently reminded in my computer tech class that the children we look at every day in our classrooms will be our leaders, and they will have access to more complicated technology than we can imagine right now. They are our future! The above list is so helpful for me to remember that positivity can and does go a long way!
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