What the Students Tell us about Engagement
Relationships Develop relationships by demonstrating respect and trust. Encourage respect and trust in all relationships in class (teacher student, student-student, student instructor). "I feel that I’m much more willing to dive head first into a class if I feel that respect from and to the instructor." This appears to be the single most important factor in fostering engagement.
Empowerment. Make students active participants in the learning process. Help them develop an interest in the topic. Give choices about what they do for the class. Use a facilitator, or “guide on the side,” strategy.
Application. Two meanings: (1) seeing how course content relates to students' personal futures; (2) giving “hands on” experiences. Encourage students to leap from hearing information to analyzing what they hear.
Instructor Passion. The passion of the instructor both for the material and for student learning affects engagement. "You can just tell by the tone in his voice that he’s happy to be there, he’s happy to be teaching what he is teaching. It makes us feel he’s really positive about this. He really wants us to get it."
Question Asking. Students are more engaged when they feel comfortable asking and answering questions. One student said, "When you are more engaged, you are more likely to ask questions. If I’m in an environment where I feel comfortable asking a teacher questions, it’s easier for me." And another student mentioned a similar idea: "That [the instructor's response] made all the students around you feel 'I can ask anything and I’m not going to feel like ‘oh, that was a stupid question’”
Openness. Openness to experience also affects engagement. Students feel more engaged when they perceive that they and their instructors are able to “go with the flow” of whatever occurs in class. A student noted, "It’s openness. That’s very important; an environment has to be set up as such where the players involved feel that their voice matters or that their voice is heard."
Things you can do to foster engagement.
Develop Relationships
- Clearly relate to students in terms of mutual respect and trust. This appears to be the most important feature in their being engaged in learning. Insist on it from yourself and your students.
- Pay attention to and work on the relationship aspect of your course. Let students know one another; get to know students by name; be willing to interact in class.
Use Teaching Strategies
- Show your passion for the subject and for the students' learning.
- Be accessible.
- Give appropriate feedback.
- If possible, rely less on lectures and find ways to give a "small class" feeling.
- Develop facilitator or "guide on the side" strategies.
- Give students "hands on" experiences.
- Give students choices about how they can demonstrate their mastery.
- Periodically show how course content relates to students' personal futures.
Work with Student Voice
- Find methods that allow students to leap from hearing information to analyzing what they hear.
- Find opportunities to let students express and build on their "getting it."
- Let students feel that their voice is heard.
- In questioning students, give them time to answer. Find a way to respond to their answer that makes them feel the answer counts, even if it is wrong.