Engaging Students

We like to think that all of the students in our classes are excited to be there and eager to learn. Unfortunately, we know that is not true. Often, students enroll into a course because it is required or needed to fill a general education requirement. They start the course feeling resentful that they have to spend money to be in a class they do not want. How can we reach lackluster students to be more willing, even eager students in our class? The key is Engagement! This is not to be confused with simply entertaining students, but rather engaging them in meaningful ways with the content. The author and educator, Todd Kasdan states, “If you want people to be interested, committed, and willing to devote effort to learning, mastering, and using these skills for the long haul, then you can’t avoid the initial step of stimulating excitement.”(Kasdan, 2010, p. 85)

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published a guide entitled “How to Make Your Teaching More Engaging: Advice Guide.” The author, Sarah Rose Cavanagh, lists four key principles of student engagement.

Principle No. 1 – Cognitive resources are limited. Emotion trumps. Each person has a finite amount of working memory and students are met on all sides by competing forces using up their cognitive load. They are learning new information and skills, trying to prepare assignments, and facing external detractions (those darn iPhones!). Cavanagh suggests using emotional hooks such as stories, headlines, music, or provocative questions to spark student interest.

Principle No. 2 – Your persona and performance matter, like it or not! Cavanagh suggests the key role of the instructor is to help the student fall in love with the subject matter, something simply lecturing will seldom accomplish. Instead, she suggests that we need to build on the phenomenon of “emotional contagion” – when moods (such as enthusiasm) spread through a room. She cites a long-term study at Hamilton University determined that many students chose their major after “taking introductory courses with dynamic professors.” You might consider filming yourself teaching or observing others in their classrooms.

Principle No. 3 – We are intensely social creatures, motivated by community. Students should feel welcome in our classrooms. Cavanagh suggest such simple steps as learning everyone’s name, giving everyone a chance to contribute, and working on shared projects. One instructor took attendance by asking a fun question about a favorite movie, food, etc. As the students’ names were called, they answered the questions. Simple steps to build community!

Principle No. 4 –Stories are our ‘most natural form of thought.’ Everyone loves a good story. Whether it is something from your own personal educational journey or interesting stories from those in your field, these will grab and engage students in the subject matter. Perhaps you could plan a role-play activity or immersive game. And always let students share their own relevant stories!

Of course, these are just a few suggestions and you are sure to have plenty of ideas of your own, but the key is to be continually asking yourself how you can improve the engagement level of your course.

References:

• Cavanagh, S. (n.d.). How to make your teaching more engaging: Advice guide. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from: https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-teaching
• Kashdan, T. (2009). Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life. New York, NY: Harper-Collins Publishers.