Got Engagement?

At our first Coffee Break of the year, the generous Hans Tullmann led us on a journey that highlighted the six elements of engagement in the classroom, while showering us with amazing resources and strategies to take back to our students.

So you want your students to take risks? Well, you’ll need to foster the first element of engagement:

INTERACTION. Without a close-knit community based on mutual respect, students will be unwilling to collaborate and open themselves up to critique. In the short time, we were together, Hans was quickly able to get our group connected through the use of a meet & greet slide deck with just 3 requirements.

So you want your students to ask thoughtful questions? Give them opportunities for EXPLORATION, the second element of engagement. The world is at their fingertips, but choosing which avenue to venture down can be overwhelming. Teach your students the importance of using the right tool for the job. Exploring Denver, Colorado through an advanced Google search, the Yelp App, or Google Maps will result in very different information. Introduce. Let them loose. Then let the questions flow.

So you want your students to connect to content? Make it relevant! RELEVANCY is the third element of engagement, and possibly the most important to our 21st-century students who have grown accustomed to sorting through massive amounts of information in their short lives. What is relevant to your students? Sites like Google Trends and NEWSELA.com can give you insight into what is hot right now but also don’t forget to take those moments to build relationships with your students. Their unique interests can lead to amazingly engaging projects and lessons.

So you want to move your students? MULTIMEDIA, the fourth element, has the power to engage students on a variety of emotional levels. When used thoughtfully, a video can lead to stress reducing laughter or open up a deep conversation about weighty issues. Check out this playlist of videos that grew from a #CUEchat inspired by Hans’ presentation.

So you want your students to improve and reach mastery? The fifth element, FEEDBACK, is the key. And just like seafood, the freshest is the best; timely feedback can mean the difference between mediocre growth and tremendous growth. Work it into the schedule! And remember, feedback is a two-way street; don’t forget to gather feedback from your students about how you’re doing and what you can do better.

So you want your students to reach new heights? Believe in them and they will believe in themselves. Then they will meet the sixth element head on, CHALLENGE. Provide them challenges worthy of their potential. Don’t be afraid to take some risks; after all, that what we want our students to do each day.

What do you think is the most important element of engagement? Add your comments below and share with Hans @htullmann and I on Twitter with the hashtags #engagewgoogle & #SGVCUE. We’d love to hear about engagement in your classroom!

Resources from the Coffee Break: http://bit.ly/engageslides2017

Teaching with YouTube: http://bit.ly/teachingwithyoutube