Survey results and anecdotes suggest that students have been less engaged in school since the start of the pandemic. That鈥檚 a big problem.
After all, research shows that students learn best when they鈥檙e motivated and engaged in their work. Educators across the country have made boosting student engagement a priority this school year.
Two teachers鈥擜lejandro Diasgranados, an elementary teacher in the District of Columbia, and Ann Stiltner, a high school special education teacher in Hamden, Conn.鈥攕hared some practical strategies for how to motivate students and get them engaged in their learning during an EdWeek online forum earlier this month.
Here are three takeaways from the discussion. You can go deeper in the full video embedded above.
1. Give students voice and choice
Students are more engaged in their work when they feel a sense of ownership and agency in class, Stiltner said. At the beginning of the school year, she has students draft a class contract. They start by discussing the best classroom they鈥檝e ever been in: What did that classroom look like? How was the teacher treated? How did the teacher treat the kids?
Then, students use those values to come up with how they want this classroom to look like, and what should happen if someone breaks the rules.
In English class, Stiltner gives students a vote on what book they鈥檒l read as a class. And she gives students smaller choices throughout the day: If a student needs a writing utensil, for example, she鈥檒l offer them a choice of a pen or pencil.
鈥淲here I can, I work in choice鈥攆or me, the only thing that鈥檚 not a choice is safety, respect, and learning,鈥� she said, adding that she still structures the choice so it鈥檚 not entirely open-ended.
Diasgranados said that involving students in making decisions whenever possible鈥攚hether it鈥檚 what time they do daily tasks, where they sit, or what they鈥檙e going to write about鈥攃an be a mindset shift for teachers, but it鈥檚 worthwhile.
鈥淚 have to reflect on, what are the things that I鈥檓 willing to allow them to have choice on, where are the parts of my lesson or the parts of my day where I can be more flexible, and what are the things that I know I need to do,鈥� he said.
But giving students the opportunity to have a voice in their learning makes them feel valued and respected, he said.
2. Incorporate students鈥� interests into your class
Diasgranados pushed back against the idea that a student is 鈥渦nmotivatable,鈥� saying that it鈥檚 up to teachers to learn what does motivate students and then incorporate that into the curriculum.
For example, his 3rd grade students are 鈥渙bsessed鈥� with Sonic the Hedgehog, the video game and movie series. Diasgranados has been teaching a unit on fables and folk tales and has peppered references to Sonic throughout.
When teaching a lesson on character traits, he named the characters Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. A few of his students who typically aren鈥檛 engaged in class were 鈥渟hocked and surprised,鈥� and then raised their hands throughout the lesson to describe each character.
鈥淚 think it takes some background practice and background research [for] teachers, with a lot of pre-work, to [try] and figure out, how can we make those connections between the things that the student is interested in, and where we鈥檙e trying to go鈥� in the curriculum, Diasgranados said. 鈥淪ome days, you might flop and give a lesson, and they still aren鈥檛 interested. But you just try again. It鈥檚 an experiment.鈥�
And it matters to try.
鈥淥nce they see that there鈥檚 an adult who鈥檚 really reached out, and cared, and has watched the movie that they鈥檝e been talking about or raving about, or listened to the artists that they鈥檝e been talking about, ... they now have someone to talk to about it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey now see you as someone that respects them, and they respect you, and they鈥檙e willing to do a little bit more.鈥�
Added Stiltner: 鈥淚 think children of all ages don鈥檛 feel like adults are really listening, so if you have really listened, that gets their attention.鈥�
3. Get parents on your team
Students鈥� guardians can be a powerful ally for teachers, Stiltner and Diasgranados said.
Diasgranados said he starts each school year by asking parents what kind of motivational strategies have worked with previous teachers and what works at home.
鈥淚f there aren鈥檛 many or they haven鈥檛 really found any, then I use that as an opportunity to work with them to build things鈥攋ust noticing things that I鈥檝e noticed at school and see if that aligns with things they鈥檝e noticed at home, and trying to align those strategies together,鈥� he said.
When parents and teachers are on the same page, they can use the same verbiage with the children. Parents can remind their child of the things they鈥檙e practicing at school, and teachers can remind students of the things they鈥檙e practicing at home, Diasgranados said.
To foster that collaborative relationship, Stiltner said she makes an effort to call each parent at the start of the school year with something positive about their child, so their first interaction isn鈥檛 about anything negative.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to ... set that positive relationship with the parents so the parent knows you are there as an ally for their kid, you are there to believe in their kid, and you look to the parent as their first teacher,鈥� she said.
Stiltner involves parents in numerous ways. For example, her freshmen do a persuasive research project, and at the end, she hosts an 鈥渁uthor celebration鈥� where the parents are invited to listen to their child鈥檚 presentation.
She hangs students鈥� work on the classroom walls for parents to see, and during conferences, she shares with parents folders of their children鈥檚 work鈥�"so they get a real clear vision of what their kids鈥� day is like at school, and what they鈥檙e working on, and how you as the teacher are respectful of their child,鈥� Stiltner said.
Building a relationship with parents also puts the students more at ease, Diasgranados said.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 talking to their parents, [students are] not super frightened thinking that I鈥檓 saying something negative,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey know that we are all on a team together, trying to figure out what鈥檚 best for the student.鈥�
