Posted by The purpose of the study is not only to gain good marks and get a degree. Instead, the learning system is built to provide students with the skills and knowledge that will benefit them in building their future. To fulfill the primary goal of learning, it is essential for teachers to work on engaging students in learning engagement. Interactive learning sessions can engage students in learning engagement, which will help both students and teachers to meet their objectives.
What is learning engagement?
In simple words, learning engagement incorporates ways to make classroom sessions interactive and fun for the students so that they engage more with the classes and the subjects.
According to the research done on university students in the USA, it was found that students gave higher ratings to those classes that they found engaging and interactive. Many more research studies, surveys, and analyses prove the same thing.
Teaching is delivering the information to the learner in a way that they understand. The work may look easy, but it is very challenging for teachers to get the students’ attention. The students can quickly get distracted and bored and lose their focus in a class if the tutor only gives a lecture on a topic. Thus, it is vital to add some student-centric engaging elements to make classes fun and interactive for the students. There are many ways, such as quizzes, group discussions, and physical activities, etc., that teachers can utilize to make their teaching sessions more engaging.
Useful tips to build an engaging learning system
Engagement in learning not only improves student attention in class but also provides a positive learning environment. When students participate more in the class, they become curious about the subject and also look forward to the teaching sessions. Following are some beneficial methods that teachers can implement to enhance the learning experience:
Encourage active learning
Active learning requires the constant participation of the students in the class. Without student participation, the class will become passive where the teacher will only speak. Asking questions and feedback frequently can encourage students to interact in the session.
Build a positive environment
A healthy environment is essential for learning. Many students hesitate to participate in class and other activities because they feel their output will be judged in the wrong way. Thus, teachers should work on creating a positive environment in their classes. Here are a few tips which they can implement to do so:
- Listen to the students without interrupting them.
- Instead of completely dismissing their views and answers, direct them politely. For example, if a student answers something wrong, then the teacher can use the opportunity and ask him to correct the answer and explain it to the other students in the next class. Further, the teacher can suggest sources for the correct information to help the student. In this way, the student can learn the right information without feeling embarrassed.
- Communicate with students directly.
- Normalize failure and mistakes.
- Give every student equal time and opportunity.
Allow self-paced learning
Many students feel frustrated with learning concepts and formulas in a limited amount of time. They want more time to grasp the concept, and when unable to do so, they lack interest in the subject.
To help students, teachers should allow students to self-pace their learning. This doesn’t mean giving unlimited time; instead, tutors can divide the concepts into several classes so that students can learn easily. Here is how this can work:
- First, dividing a concept into multiple classes.
- Then, teaching each part and giving homework based on that.
- After completion of the concept, the teacher should do a question-answer session or take a test to ensure the majority has understood the topic.
- The teacher can give one-to-one sessions to help the poor-performing students.
Assign group work
Group work can be fun for the students. According to research, students who work together to solve problems are more dedicated to finding a solution and are more content with their involvement in the group than students who don’t. The tutor can divide the whole class into groups (4 to 5 students in each group) and assign tasks, such as case studies, projects, etc., related to the subject. For example, in a science subject teacher can assign each group to make 3D models based on a topic, or for an English class, the teacher can ask groups to prepare a play based on the course book chapter.
Fun activity session
Tutors can make their classes cheerful by adding some extra activities such as games, tours, and watching movies. They can add such sessions once a month or after every fifteen days. But the question may arise of how it will encourage students to attend class regularly. So, twinning the fun activity with the class sessions can help keep students engaged in learning.
For example, the teacher can divide the students into two groups and do a rapid question-answer quiz, and declare the winner to the group that can correctly describe the concept from which the quiz questions have been asked. Adding a reward for the winner can also help increase engagement.
Encourage critical thinking
Critical thinking is a skill that involves analysis, rationality, and logical reasoning. It helps in problem-solving and decision-making. Teachers can help their students cultivate critical thinking skills by training them to align the topics with real-life examples. For example, many students complain about the benefits of studying math. Their tutor can explain the benefits of math with real-life examples, such as how trigonometry can help in building construction and probability use in decision-making and future planning.
Group discussions, brainstorming sessions, and organized debates can help develop critical thinking abilities.
Easy ways to measure students’ engagement
It’s hard to measure students’ engagement in the classroom. However, there are a few ways that teachers can employ to measure their student’s learning engagement.
- Closely monitor students’ participation in the class. Check and see how many students are answering in the class.
- In group work, monitor how many students from each group are actively participating. Ask students about their roles in the group.
- Take the formative assessment to see if students are understanding the lessons from the class.
- Take a surprise test after teaching a difficult topic to track how many students fully comprehend the subject and where they lack understanding.
- Give students points for their participation and monitor their engagement.
- Ask students directly about what they feel about the class.
- Create a feedback form with different parameters and ask students to fill it out.
Quick tips to deal with non-engaging students
It is possible that even after using plenty of engagement tactics, a few students in the class don’t engage in learning. Such a situation is normal, and no one is at fault for the non-engagement. It’s just that the student’s interest in the class and the subject doesn’t pique with the implemented tactics, and they need some extra help. Following are some tips and tricks that tutors can use to engage students in learning:
- Talk to the student to know why they are not able to engage with the class. After knowing the cause, the teacher can either make changes in the engagement pattern or help the student individually.
- Ask questions and feedback from such students in the class so that they interact in the class and may develop an interest in the subject. But don’t target them too much because they may feel judged and embarrassed.
- Talk to their parents about their child’s situation and ask them to support the student at home.
- Talk to other teachers about the non-engaging students and know how they are performing in their classes. If they are doing well in other classes, then learn what tactics are implemented in those classes to make it engaging.
- A good way to engage non-engaging students is to assign a role in the class. For example, make them a group leader in a group project.
Conclusion
Engaging students in learning is critical in today’s educational system. Because it can help all students develop useful skills to build meaningful careers. The old teaching tactics can only benefit the student in passing the exams and storing the information for a period of time. However, with interactive learning sessions, students can learn how to use information in real life. Contact our MyLearningCourse experts, for more information tips, and tricks about how to engage students in learning.