Tips for Engaging Your Students

A few years ago I was lucky enough to spend two staff development days at trainings by Eric Jensen.  If you ever have the opportunity to listen to Jensen speak, I highly suggest you go.  I know you can gather a lot from reading his books and from his website but actually listening to him present is even more powerful.  He radiates positive energy, keeps his audience engaged, and incorporates so many of his strategies into his presentation that you leave feeling  you can totally rock student engagement.

Much of Jensen's work has to do with brain research and states of mind

With two full days of slides and notes, it would be impossible for me to incorporate every single thing he covered into one post but I hope to incorporate some of the strategies I learned from Jensen into future posts.  Today, I want to talk specifically about ways teachers can help students to feel that they are in a safe environment in the classroom and to, therefore, feel more engaged and likely to participate. Jensen gives some very simple examples of the types of questions to ask and the way to respond when students answer questions, even if the answers are incorrect, that leaves students feeling positive and motivated to continue learning.
Through out Jensen's presentations, he uses prompts to keep the audience engaged and involved in what's going on. There are lots of partner and group activities.  He had us saying things like, "You're my partner!" and pointing at people and then thanking them for being our partner.  Or proclaiming, "Let's do it!" before we started a task. Little things like this keep people in a good mood, force you to pay attention, and make activities more fun.  We were patting our heads or putting our fingers on our noses to show we agreed or understood. I still find myself asking kids to signal their understanding in some goofy way because it's just more fun than the usual "nod your head" or "thumbs up/thumbs down." I also ask them to repeat things or say, "That's me!" or "I got mine!" They really like it and it's more fun that way!
Most of Jensen's research has to do with how the brain works and different ways we can capture students' attention.  He talks a lot about changing the students' state before we can activate their learning. Again, that's way too much to go into in this particular post but it really is fascinating information and it's very important for teachers to know as well. It's much more difficult to teach a student when their brain is in a state resistant to learning than it is when they are ready to learn.
Here are 5 quick strategies for encouraging participation you can begin using in your classroom today.
1) "Nudge" students for engagement.  Have your students repeat a phrase, such as, "Let's do it!"  or tell their partner, "Great job!" If you are lecturing, say things like, "Write this down, even if it's the only thing you write down all day."
2) Use social prompts. Ask your students to identify members of the group that they feel fit certain descriptions, such as "identify the one who has laughed the most" or is "the tallest."  This promotes team building and good will between group members, assuming the prompts are all nice and polite.
3) Allow students to use the phrase, "I don't know, but I'd like to know" if you ask them a question and they aren't sure what the answer is. Also allow them to guess if they're not sure and respond with, "I appreciate you jumping in," or "thank you for participating" instead of telling them they are wrong. Let them know it's okay to be wrong or not to know the answer so they won't be afraid to try.
4) Provide opportunities for movement.  Allowing students to move actually starts a chemical change in the brain and will lead to a more engaged state.  One idea you can use to easily incorporate this into your classroom is to simply form two lines and have the students walk around while listing, naming, or discussing items from a particular topic.  You can also just take brain breaks and have them do some cross-over movements, where they are touching parts of their bodies across their lateral points (left hand right knee, etc.)  Another great idea is to simply say, "Touch two circles and then find a partner and answer this question."  Simple, fun, easy, great for the brain.
5) Use compelling questions. The more interesting your questions are, the more likely your students are to want to answer them.  For example, instead of asking students to list facts explaining why Lincoln was a good president, ask them, "Why do we continue to talk about Lincoln's presidency 150 years after his death?" You will get the same information but the second question is more engaging. It's not a boring list, it's a conversation starter.
Above all else, always be positive. Continue to use phrases such as, "Love the effort,"  "Thanks for giving it a try,"  "Use a lifeline," all of these statements encourage students to stay involved.
For more information about Eric Jensen, please click here.
What other ideas do you have for making the classroom more fun and engaging?