No one likes to feel powerless; people like to think they have some control over what they do. That's why offering students
choice in the classroom is an effective way to increase engagement. Phillip Schlechty's book,
Working on the Work, explains, "What students are to learn is usually not subject to negotiation, but they [should] have considerable choice and numerous options in what they will do and how they will go about doing those things in order to learn."
Technology offers hundreds of choices when it comes to end products and sharing learning. The tricky part is that teachers and students need to know what technologies are available to them and know how to use them.
Continue reading "Choice Affects Engagement"
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One of my favorite things to do as a student was to make posters. I guess it was a precursor to being a teacher and my love of constructing elaborate bulletin boards. For my posters, I would cut out pictures from magazines and paste them on a large poster board. I'd use my best handwriting and my best Sharpie to write the title of the poster across the top and to write whatever was expected on the poster.
Another quality detailed in the book Working on the Work is novelty and variety. Everyone likes to see and do new and interesting things. That's why students are more engaged when the range of what we do in the classroom is wide and varied. Technology can certainly help teachers bring novelty and variety into the classroom.
Students are more motivated when they have opportunities to work with others. It's no surprise that the book, Working on the Work, says that one of the qualities that affects a student's level of engagement is affiliation. Students greatly appreciate opportunities to team up and put their heads together. In fact, 