Ingredients for an Engaging Classroom, Looking at the Elements

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #19 – July 11, 2009

In my June 27 posting, eleven main elements were given that contribute to an engaging classroom. Last week, I discussed items one and two. This week, we will look at items three and four in more detail.

3.- Get students excited about the goal(s) they plan to achieve, individually and as a group.

Students get excited about learning when they experience success. But how will they feel success, if there is no apparent goal or purpose? Therefore, it
is imperative to have specific goals for the class as a whole and for each individual student. A good way to help students visualize goals is through charts and graphs. Students thrive on success. Most enjoy visually seeing the progress they are making as they approach a goal they have set. Teachers are great at creating charts and other phenomenal graphic representations of student progress. These visuals provide students a tangible progress report. For more details on the importance of goals, please read my posting at: http://teaching4achnage.blogspot.com. Scroll down to April 5, 2009. A Real Personalized Assessment.

4.-Make the content relevant and useful.

When a lesson is interesting and relevant to students’ lives, they become engaged. Learning that is interesting and relevant is viewed by students as valuable. How can we make this happen in the classroom? Here is one example. If you are teaching your students how to write a business letter, just having them copy from a template in the grammar book might not arouse much interest. I recommend:

1.- Find out how many of your students would like to get a job. This can be used for grades 5-12. (Yes, elementary school children do yard work, babysitting, dog walking, car washing, etc.)

2.-Explain how a Letter of Introduction can be a useful marketing tool to give them that all-important “edge” in securing a job. It could be passed around their neighborhood or brought to a job interview.

3.-Show them some sample letters and let them go at it.

You will definitely see much more enthusiasm when it’s relevant and useful.

Look for a breakdown of more elements to engage students in my post next weekend.