For the past two years at my school, we have been studying the methods described in Robert Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works. The methods are research-based techniques that encourage rigorous learning. Since I tested and saw the validity of these techniques, I decided to read The Highly Engaged Classroom, also by Marzano and Debra Pickering.
One strategy I currently use to engage students is through personal connection. I make it a point to talk to them and get to know them personally. Relationship building with students is essential if you want to engage them in your classroom. In The Highly Engaged Classroom, chapter 2, Marzano discusses the importance of building positive student-teacher relationships in order to get them engaged.
Another strategy is through having them keep track of their own progress so that they know where they are now and where they need to be. Giving them more responsibility for their own learning is important. This is an instructional technique that is described in Classroom Instruction that Works and in The Highly Engaged Classroom, chapter 5.
A third strategy is through time management. Keeping the pace of instruction moving by changing activities often and allowing for little "down" time is an effective way to keep students engaged. This is mentioned in chapter 2 of The Highly Engaged Classroom.
I love your purple flowers on your blog!! I totally agree with all of your engaging learner points. The thing that someone told me when I first started teaching was to greet every child by name the first thing in the morning. Getting to know your students really helps to be a trusting support system. Thanks, Stephanie Eby
ReplyDeleteI am also reading The Highly Engaged Classroom for this class. I have just started reading this book but found the definitions of and relationship between attention and engagement straightforward and helpful. The authors "define attention as positive responses to both questions ... 'How do I feel?' and 'Am I interested'" (Marzano & Pickering, 2011). Engagement is defined as "positive responses to questions ... 'Is this important' and 'Can I do this?' (Marzano & Pickering, 2011)." I look forward to reading more about the strategies that correspond with these four questions.
ReplyDeleteMarci I love the idea of creating a story telling blog. This will give the students such a great opportunity to follow each other and learn new things about their lives they may not have know before. This will also be a positive way for their families to be involved in their school life and see what types of things they are creating at school.
ReplyDeleteCould you tell me a little more about your effective time management skills? Currently I chunk lessons according to the attention span of a middle-schooler… each activity lasts up to 15 minutes and then we switch. However, we are teaching new curriculum, Springboard, which does not allow me the flexibility I once had. The lessons are creative, but the content requires a continuous flow each class period. How do you transition during down time? What do you do when time runs short and/or over? Have you ever used sound clips as a transition? I haven’t got that far into Marzano’s book… Are there more specifics listed there?
ReplyDeleteIn Marzano's The Highly Engaged Classroom beginning on page 147 there are ideas for keeping engagement at a high level. Some of the things he suggests are questioning, incorporating physical movement, using games, and tracking and studying progress.
ReplyDeleteAny of these strategies can be used during down time or for transitions. For example, as you transition from one activity to the next, have them track their progress on the last activity/learning target and review their last self-assessment of the next activity/learning target.
Another way to transition would be to have your students get out of their seats and act out or play charades of the concept you just covered, or even trace new vocabulary words in the air (physical movement).
Anytime you have a few minutes of down time, have your students make up high-level questions about the material you just covered and see if they can stump the teacher or other students in the class. Challenge them to come up with a question that can't be answered without outside research, and then offer a prize to the first person who brings in the answer.
Games can be simple, too. Calling out vocabulary terms you have just studied and having students provide a Jeopardy-like question that describes the concept, for example.
Check out chapter 6 in Marzano's book.