Hello fellow educators! If you are looking to increase engagement in your class, we have got you covered. As an educator we all want our students to engage more, get better grades and upgrade their overall academic performance. Now that we are both in online and offline classes, keeping the engagement of students can become difficult. With the new technology and social media, the attention span is becoming less than a minute. And we have to blend in new ways to encourage students. Here are 5 quick tips on both traditional and digital classrooms.
Let’s explore, encourage and engage more:
Back to School: Top 05 Tips to Increase Engagement in Traditional Classes
Active Learning Sessions:
Actively listening to students’ opinions, answers and problems can increase engagement in classes. You can reward children for motivation to participate more in classrooms.
Active learning is all about getting students involved through group projects, solving problems together, and reflecting on their discoveries. Instead of being passive listeners, students become active participants in their education. For example, in a science class, rather than just reading about the water cycle, students could create a model, simulate the process, and discuss the real-world implications. This approach not only deepens understanding but also fosters critical thinking and collaboration skills essential for success beyond the classroom.
Student Responsibilities:
Distribute student responsibilities in the classroom. Inform students about different assignments, projects, games and more. Then distribute roles and responsibilities in the classroom to different students. Assign tasks, encourage group learning and assign a guide/monitor to different group learnings. For example, pick a discussion leader for each session who guides the conversation and ensures everyone’s voice is heard. By introducing more students with responsibilities, you can increase engagement in the class.
You can also promote a sense of ownership and accountability, leading to increased engagement and active participation.
Incorporating Technology:
Introduce the new age technology to the classroom. Introduce new gadgets, and virtual classes and bring different concepts of technological learning. Mixing technology with students will keep the students engaged more in today’s world of learning and also cater to new ways of learning in the class. Moreover, you can add educational apps, and online resources that have personalised learning for all students.
For example, using interactive simulations or multimedia presentations can make abstract concepts more accessible and engaging. By staying up to date on technology learning, you can increase engagement and encourage the class to learn and participate more.
Student Ownership:
Let them lead. Give your students the chance to have ownership of a few assignments, and projects. This will introduce more engagement and empowerment for the students. When students feel that they are being given responsibility, they feel invested in learning more and it’s a win-win for everyone.
For example, let students select topics for research projects or design their learning pathways based on their interests and goals. By providing autonomy and agency in their learning journey, students develop a sense of responsibility and motivation to succeed.
Keep Them Moving:
Move your body and brain! Well, sitting in class all day does not entirely help to learn more. Moving our bodies helps to learn more and boosts attention spans. It energises students and keeps them encouraged in the process of learning. Physical activities can boost the game of learning and incorporate new learning experiences.
For example, incorporate movement-based games that require students to physically engage with the material. Moreover, you can consider flexible seating arrangements for students. You can have a fun class of quizzes and movements, which would require students to answer the quiz through fun body movements. Here’s to new learning through movements and books.
Applying the Tips: Easy Examples
- Active Learning Sessions: Instead of a traditional lecture, organise a group project where students collaborate to solve real-world problems. For example, have them design a sustainable city and present their ideas to the class.
- Student Responsibilities: Delegate roles within the class, such as discussion leader, note-taker, or presenter. Each student takes on a responsibility, fostering teamwork and ensuring everyone actively participates in the learning process.
- Incorporating Technology: Bring lessons to life by using technology like smart boards for interactive demonstrations or incorporating virtual reality for immersive experiences. For instance, take students on a virtual tour of historical landmarks using VR headsets.
- Student Ownership: Give students choices in how they demonstrate their understanding. Allow them to pick from a menu of project options or propose their ideas for assignments. This encourages autonomy and a sense of ownership in their learning journey.
- Keep Them Moving: Integrate physical activities into lessons, such as “brain breaks” or interactive stations. For example, during a science lesson, have students simulate the movement of molecules by physically moving around the room in different patterns.
Digital Classrooms and Head Full of Dreams: Tips for Increased Engagement in Digital Classrooms
If you’ve ever felt like you are talking to an empty room during your online classes, you are not alone. It can be frustrating for both you and your students when their engagement levels drop. But fear not! We are here to learn more. Here are some quick tips to turn that virtual classroom into a lively environment full of fun, learning and excitement:
Set Clear Expectations and Goals:
Create a treasure map for your students! Your students are your adventurers and you get to be their mentor through this adventure of learning. It is always great to start a chapter with an outline of what you are going to cover, what assignments you are going to assign and what kind of projects students can pitch in. This will give students an idea of what they are going to study. This would also help students to understand what to expect in the chapter. Through this tip, you can encourage the students to engage more in lectures and assignments. Way to go!
Encourage Critical Thinking:
Explain, Ask and Encourage. This is the mantra for a good engagement in class and, more importantly, a great learning way. Don’t leave class with just a lecture. Encourage the class, and challenge them through outside-the-box questions. This is a thought-provoking way of learning. Encourage the students through awards, appreciation and motivation.
Encourage them to experiment, explore, and discover the joy of learning on their terms. Who knows what brilliant ideas they will come up with?
Spice Up Your Content:
Jazz up the learning process. You can always mix and add multimedia resources.
Introduce your class with some fun learning videos, and ask open-ended questions at the end. You can also show clips of famous leaders and experts of the subjects who made a great career. This will motivate the students and also spice up the old boring ways of learning. With attention spans getting shorter by the minute, variety is the name of the game. Get creative and watch those eyes light up with excitement!
Embrace Interaction:
Don’t just teach and skip. Add steps! Ask questions, and ditch the one-sided learning method. Ask if there are any doubts. Welcome good questions, and answer in subtle and welcoming ways.
Create separate Q&A sessions, and group discussions and create breakout rooms for a good discussion. You can also ask open-ended questions to the class. You can also have a quick quiz competition and whoever wins will get extra rewards on grade. These are some examples of increasing interactivity and engagement in class.
When your students feel like they are active participants in the learning process, magic happens!
Gamify Learning:
Who doesn’t like to play and learn? Well, gamification is known to upscale the game of learning Because gamification can boost motivation and interest, it can be an effective approach for increasing student engagement.
Kick things up a notch. Introduce a small engaging game to the classroom.
Make leaderboards, and award badges, and acknowledge each small accomplishment as it happens. Whether your students are working on a challenging maths issue or learning a new language, a little friendly rivalry can help to keep them motivated and interested.
By mixing and re-shuffling all these recommended ways of teaching, you can skip the usual snooze classes to up-town fun classes.
Once you mix and apply, your students will thank you through their motivation, learning and grades!
Applying the Tips: Easy Examples
- Set Clear Expectations: Don’t start a new chapter without creating a deadline and outlining the topics that you are going to cover. Create both outlines and deadlines for assignments, projects and chapters.
- Encourage Critical Thinking: Ask open-ended questions in class instead of old way pen paper tests. You can chalk down one question on the board and let the class participate in groups. For example: “How might history have unfolded differently if certain decisions were made?”
- Spice Up Your Content: Mix up your teaching resources. Rather than just going for the text-based slides, mix it up a little with engaging multimedia elements. Show a short video clip illustrating a scientific concept in action.
- Embrace Interactivity: Break up your lecture with interactive activities like a live Q&A session where students can ask questions in real-time.
- Gamify Learning: Introduce a points or reward system where students earn badges or virtual rewards for completing assignments, participating in discussions, or achieving high scores on quizzes. “50 extra points for Gryffindor!” (The old classics)
Conclusion
Hey educators! You have made it till the end of this, this means that you are willing to do everything it takes to make learning better. You just learned the quickest and easiest ways to promote healthier, innovative and engaging classes for your students. Kudos! With these tips, you can enhance students’ grades, and engagement while making learning fun and exciting. Now, with both online and traditional class tips, it’s time for you to get out and apply them in your type of classroom. Let learning never stop, teacher!
