Should We Be Engaging or Empowering Students? Great
question! I believe that our positive relationships, leadership,
enthusiasm for each subject/activity, questioning/discussion techniques, and
engagement strategies will excite students to learn. Once we have them
excited it is easier to empower. We need to model empowerment and show
students what it feels and looks like. Charlotte Danielson suggests the
following within Domain 3 of our teacher evaluation process:
-Allow students to assume the responsibility and take initiative
to modify learning tasks to make it more relevant to them.
-Provide extensive choice in how students can complete a task.
-Allow students to suggest modifications and/or additions to the
materials being used.
-Provide an opportunity for reflection and closure on the lesson
to consolidate understanding.
-Allow students to help establish the evaluation criteria.
-Provide an opportunity for students to monitor their own
understanding, either on their own initiative or as a result of tasks set by
the teacher.
These examples all sound like empowerment. So, the question
asks… Should we be engaging or empowering students? I believe we need to
do both with the ultimate goal of empowering them to be life-long learners.
Below are some techniques that many of our teachers are using to
support student engagement:
Tell a friend
Have students tell a friend before asking for a classroom
response. Sounds simple… because it is! It’s equally important to
teach students the signal to redirect class back to teacher. Create an
anchor chart on how to be a good listener.
Turn and Talk
Answer questions, have discussions, etc. with turn and talk
partner before answering to the class. This encourages 100% participation
and active discussion. Consider having A/B partners during turn and talk,
giving each partner a task to the discussion. Create partners by
proximity, ability level, o’clock partners, etc.
Jigsaw
Article, story, textbook reading, etc. is divided into sections.
Put students into groups. They are responsible for becoming the
“expert” on their particular section. Then, regroup students so that each
group has one member from each original group. Students (topic experts)
share out - creates 100% participation and each student is responsible for dissemination
of information.
Say Something
Consider the most important point from the article, story,
chapter, video, read aloud, etc...
Say something:
- Which
I agree
- Which
I disagree
- That
puzzles me
- I
am reminded of
- That
was new to me
- I
wish the author had said more about
Place on chart paper and allow students to utilize post-it notes
to display thoughts. This can also be used with Google docs and/or Kidblog.
Chalk Walk
Utilize chart paper with 5-7 specific questions related to the
target learning (1 question per chart paper). Put students into groups.
The groups should have different color post-its or markers when
commenting and answering questions on the chart paper. This can also be an
individualized silent task to encourage independent thinking. Again, Kidblog
and/or Google docs could be utilized to answer questions instead of chart
paper.
I wonder... I noticed
Jot down a wonder and notice (use as exit slip, journal entry,
post-it, etc.) during an article review, video, student presentation, teacher
lesson, etc. This will enrich classroom discussion and raise level of concern.
Furthermore, it is great for staff meetings and professional
development.
A/B Pyramid
Partner A faces the board/Partner B faces away. Partner A
describes the word (science/SS vocab/spelling word, etc.) or concept on the
board without using the actual word. Partner B has to guess what it is.
(Think $25,000 Pyramid). Great for a review.
Think, pair, share, square
Students think...pair with another student... share with that
student... then move into a square with 2 other students to share with them.
At the end - one person from each group of 4 provides info to the entire
class - group of 4 picks the speaker.
Sample Anticipation Guide
When reading, create a couple statement questions - have students
agree/disagree with statement, see if they were correct after reading, provide
page number and evidence – students can provide responses in a journal or any another format that would provide evidence of understanding. Allow students to help establish the evaluation criteria.
Kahoot
Questions are launched at the front of the room, and learners join through their personal devices. In real-time, and with gaming elements to increase engagement and motivation, learners answer questions and teachers get an overview of the current level of knowledge as a formative assessment. Fun and engaging! Check it out!
Story Circle of Thoughts
Put students into groups after reading a story. Students
must discuss the story, taking on the point of view of different characters
from the book, creating a society within each group. Students will then share
out with the group or write a summary of ideas/thoughts.
Quick Draw
After read aloud - have students do a quick draw of
setting, character trait, big idea, prediction, etc. Supports active
listening during the story.
5 minute quick write
Take 5 minutes to summarize, predict, defend, compare/contrast,
etc. after classroom discussion, story, activity, etc. Time bound
assignments can raise level of concern and enhance engagement.
Connect, Extend, Challenge
Teacher will write Connect, Extend, Challenge in columns on the
board. Give students three sticky notes to answer the following about an
article, video, chapter, story, classroom discussion, etc.
- Connect - Make a connection with another text,
idea, etc.
- Extend - How has this article (video, chapter,
story, idea, etc.) helped you to extend (grow) your thinking?
- Challenge - What challenges or questions do you
still have that you would want answered?
Students will put name on back of sticky note and place under the
words Connect, Extend, and Challenge. Teachers can be creative in the
delivery and use of this idea. This concept increases engagement and
empowers students to Connect, Extend, and Challenge their learning. It is
also a nice formative assessment that provides teachers with immediate
information to drive the next steps within the learning process.
Exit Slip
Post "I learned" and "I loved" and “I can”
columns on the board. Have students place each post-it note (name on
back) under each column. This can provide teacher with good formative
information regarding student learning and engagement to the target objective.
Headlines
After reading an article, a section in a book, or discussing a
topic as a class - have students create a headline to summarize the most
important part. They should try to style the headline as it would read in
a newspaper. It should be attention-grabbing and support the target learning.
CSI (Color, Symbol, Image)
Fold paper into 3 sections:
1. Chose Color that represents a big idea that
stood out for you. Color section one.
2. Draw a symbol to represent a big idea in
section two.
3. Sketch an image to represent a big idea.
Students should be prepared to discuss the reason for the CSI.
They can even write one or two sentences explaining each section.
6 learning methods
Additional engagement strategies/methods:
- Inquiry-Based
Learning
- Problem-Based
Learning
- Discovery
Learning
- Cooperative
Learning
- Authentic
Learning
- Project-Based
Learning
Check out 6 Learning Methods Every 21st Century Teacher should
know via @medkh9
Remember, don’t try everything all at once. Pick one or two
that will support 100% active participation and build your repertoire of
engagement strategies. I hope you find this helpful, supporting a new
idea or something you want to get back to using.
Feel free to comment and share some of your engagement strategies,
let’s learn together!
Enjoy teaching, engaging, and empowering your students!
