Welcome
It shouldn’t surprise anyone to hear that one of the most consistent findings in educational research demonstrates that the more engaged students are in instruction, the more they learn. When students are engaged they are motivated to learn. We, as teachers know this and yet in the realities of the educational world and the practicalities of running an everyday classroom, we often get caught up in such factors as the rush to cover information, lack of classroom (and planning) time, along with the numbers and educational diversity of students in our classrooms.
When it comes to addressing engagement and motivation of students, research has shown that for a student to become engaged, motivated, and ready to learn, there are four questions they must answer for themselves:
1). How do I feel? (about the class, about the teacher, about being here today) A welcoming, enthusiastic, caring teacher that brings themselves into the classroom, brings the students with him/her.
2). Am I interested? (in this topic, in the manner the teacher is presenting it) Making the topic or approach to the subject interesting causes the working memory to process it more completely.
3). Is this important? (How is this meaningful? How is this relevant to me?) Engagement is defined by importance. If students can find meaning and relevance in what is studied, they will deem it important and be more engaged.
4). Can I do this? If students believe they can perform the tasks, the brain will accept it and these students will be more motivated to be engaged in those tasks.
CLICK HERE to access a PDF of the Article: Keys to Student Engagement -Movement & Choice, gives us a look at factors that can have a major impact on whether students in your classrooms are engaged, “active learners”.
TLC Educational Solutions National On-site Workshops
- Building a Motivated Student Learning Environment through Engagement & Modeling
- Creating a Highly Engaged and Effectively Managed Classroom Environment
- Guiding Instruction Using Formative Assessment Strategies
- Promoting Higher-Order Thinking Skills with Engagement & Motivation
- Using Differentiated Instructional Strategies for Student Motivation & Engagement
- Classroom Management Strategies That Work
CLICK HERE to find out more about our On-site Workshops and Invitational Seminars
CLICK HERE to find out more about TLC Educational Solutions
Contact Information
Patricia A. Crum Ed.D. & Terry L. Crum M.S., National Trainers & Educational Consultants
E-mail: drcrum@tlceducationalsolutions.com Website: tlceducationalsolutions.com
Phone: 402.431.2351
About the author
Patricia and Terry draw from over 40 years of educational experience in the roles of teacher, coach, administrator, presenter, and district level leader. They bring together PreK-12 experience and presentation skills to engage teachers and administrators in developing effective instructional, technological, and classroom management strategies. They offer a variety of professional development workshops in classroom management, differentiated instruction, higher-order thinking, student engagement, and formative assessment.