How important is student engagement in your classroom? Is student engagement a passing educational trend, or is it education, as it needs to be? Who is responsible for getting students engaged? The students, the teachers, the parents, the administration? What role does technology play in student engagement?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_engagement
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Hey Ryan..
ReplyDeleteI use this video and a couple of others from Wecsh with my 8th and 7th graders. I have them watch the video and then answer reflection questions about it, relating examples from their own use and knowledge of technology. Wesch is doing GREAT stuff! As to your question...
Engaging students is everyone's responsibility. I am not sure where it starts or ends or even if there is a start or end to it. In my opinion, and as you suggest...engagement is education itself. I believe it is important for the teacher to provide opportunities for students to become engaged...but it is equally important for the student respond to those opportunities.
How do teachers engage students? They start by being engaged themselves. Engagement is a passion. I think it is easier for teachers who are passionate about what they are doing to engage their students. Technology can and often does provide a vehicle for such engagement, but it is not the only way to accomplish this, but is not the only way to engage students. What technology does do is to put all students on an even playing field, which is one reason it is often engaging for students. They can all relate and they can all achieve through its use.
I like Carole's comment that teachers can provide opportunities for students to become engaged.
ReplyDeleteThe question remeains, "what are some specific ways to get your students engaged?"
Any tricks of the trade that worked to get students engaged in your classroom?
I think it is the administrations role to direct staff to place an emphasis on engagement. Teacher are ultimately responsible for engagement in the class.
ReplyDeleteTechnology can play a big role, but you don't need it to engage the students. The students can be engaged in peer editing in ELA for example. This can happen with hand-written work in a note book, or via Google Docs.
I've seen the video before, Dr. Wesch is calling technology used to engage, "Participatory Media", this is mostly the Web 2.0 stuff. Dr. Wesch has some neat things to say about it. Check out this lecture he gave in Manitoba. And this too...
Student engagement in my classroom is very important. If the students are not engaged, I pitch the lesson, go back to the drawing board, and find something better for the future. I do not think student engagement is a passing trend. I see student engagement as part of the intersection of 3 rings: knowledge (what to, why to), skill (how to) & desire (want to) (Covey). I believe the student has most, if not all, control of the desire ring.
ReplyDeleteI think the teacher is primarily responsible for figuring out what engages students, however, students need to strive for more than entertainment. Education needs to be mixed with entertainment....I think the current buzz word for this is "Edutainment".
Not all technology is engaging either; websites/software that are nothing more than redundant drill practice or endless reading without interaction and decision making, can quickly become disengaging to a student.
Technology can play a huge role with engaging students; as long as the technology is interactive with feedback in ways that help a student to be creative and solve problems.
Terry, some interesting comments! I'm thinking about student engagement and its role in the 3 rings. I'll have to digest that thought for a while. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you all agree that it is quite interesting that our subject matter (technology) is usually the most popular tool for increasing student engagement. Most teachers use technology to enhance their student's interest in other core subjects.
We (tech teachers) are given the task to teach the tool (technology) itself. Should we do the opposite of most classroom teachers and use another core subject to help teach the technology? Or, is technology becoming a core subject in itself?
Or, should technology always be so transparent that it should never be taught without a connection or immersion in another core subject?
Earlier, i asked you all if this blogging experiment had become tiresome. I KNOW this blog is successful for me personally, because after reading your thoughtful comments, I find myself asking more questions, and finding less answers. That, my friends, is the best kind of learning!