BENEFITS OF ENGAGEMENT

According to Adam Fletcher, “Students are engaged when they are attracted to their work, persist despite challenges and obstacles, and take visible delight in accomplishing their work.”

Studies show that engaged students have improved academic achievement and satisfaction. They are also more likely to persist through academic struggles and earn higher test scores. They also have better social skills and are less likely to drop out of school. But what about disengaged students? According to edutopia.com, those who are disengaged have lower cognitive performance, increased disruptive behaviors which cause academic avoidance behavior. They also have learning, behavior, and emotional problems and increased absenteeism and dropout rates.

Kristy Cooper, an award-winning researcher at Michigan State University with an MA and Ed.D from Harvard, examined the impact of three well-supported strategies that teachers employ to increase student engagement.

First is lively teaching which involves group work, games, and projects. The emphasis is on the students constructing knowledge, not on the teacher delivering content.

Second is academic rigor, where the instructor creates cognitively demanding tasks and environments, emphasizing that students will need to work hard.

Next is connective instruction, where the teacher helps students make personal connections to the class, content, and learning.

— oOo— The author is Teacher III at Dolores Elementary School