5 Ways To Increase Student Engagement
Ever feel like your students see you as the cartoon teacher droning on and on? Literally the worst feeling as a teacher…aside from students sneaking out early…or cheating…or fights in class…
Ok, I guess there are worse things, but let’s take a moment to talk about student engagement!
Over my years in teaching high school science, I’ve collected a few tools for my teacher toolbox that truly save me and my lessons every time.
These strategies are easy to implement, provide instant results, and keep those kiddos of yours actively engaged in learning. These are such great strategies that the students don’t even realize they’re learning.
“Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.”
Bonus side-effects of students who are actively engaged:
Improved classroom management
Student-centered lessons
Increased learning and assessment scores
You — the teacher — nail your teacher observation!
5 Ways To Increase Student Engagement:
Video Lessons
Video lessons are versatile, effective, and self-paced teaching tools supplement traditional classroom learning. Students can pause, rewind, and replay video lessons, allowing them to learn at their own pace and review material as needed. Worksheets are provided to guide students through essential concepts and terms from the video as they watch.
Video lessons can be completed from any location with an internet connection, making them accessible to students who may not have access to traditional classroom resources.
Variety is the spice of life
Would you like to be a student in your class? Think about it. If not, create a list of 3-5 things that work well for your students. Consider why they work — keep in mind any student accommodations. Then, create a list of things you could add, remove, or revise to make your lessons a bit more “exciting”. Variety is your key! One of my favorite engagement pieces to use with my own class is Mind Maps. Why do I love them you may ask??? Let me count the ways:
Mind maps allow for student creativity while working with content vocabulary and concepts
Mind maps utilize Dual-Coding Theory, which is proven to increase retention and comprehension
Mind maps provide a new platform for students to work in, not just another lecture or worksheet
One last thing…Mind Maps are my best seller year after year!
Boom Cards
In short, Boom™ Cards are sets (called decks on the platform) of interactive task card lessons used to practice and assess concepts and skills…any lesson concept or skill for any subject at any level. Content area professionals build Boom™ Cards. Teachers at all levels benefit from using Boom™ Cards as a targeted practice to better student understanding of essential learning and standards.
Find new decks here on Boom™ Learning and here on TpT and learn how to assign Boom™ Card decks to students!
Ready to start right now? New users will receive a 10% discount on individual subscriptions with this link! (I may earn a small referral prize when you use my discount)
Boom™ is the trademark of Boom. Used with permission.
Focus on the students
This is not about you. You are the expert. You are the one who facilitates the learning. You are not center-stage. Thank the lord, no one needs that type of pressure in front of a class full of students. Develop lessons that put the learning in the student’s court. As a science teacher, one of my favorite things is CERs: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning. These are fantastic when creating a student-centered lesson. Why? Allow me to share:
CERs allow students to practice their scientific writing skills
CERs improve student debates
CERs model the scientific method and work great with labs
CERs are also one of my best sellers!
Get students talking
Don’t panic! Talking can be a good thing. We, as humans, have to interact with one another. I have ways to make this happen in the classroom that are controlled and on topic. Here are my tips:
Use a sharing technique, such as Round Robin, Popcorn Share, or Tweet-Tweet
Provide a question or writing prompt that focuses on students
Use a timer! This is my pro tip. When students are timed, they tend to stay on task
And there you have it. Easy to implement strategies that engage your students in meaningful and fun new ways.
Get your hands on even more easy-to-use resources by signing up for my Free Resource Library!
Simple strategies that make an enormous difference in your student’s engagement and behavior. Students will end up losing track of time because they are so focused on the content and tasks.
You may even notice that you enjoy your school days more, I know I do.
Leave a comment below and let me know your go-to strategies for keeping students engaged or if you’ve tried any of my suggestions!
