Student Engagement Strategies for a Classroom!!

Our students aren’t engaged by things. They’re engaged by us.

That’s why the best ways to increase student engagement come from you.

Connect learning to the real world

We’ve all heard it before: “When am I ever going to use this?” Answer this question and you’ll engage students with content that they know is relevant to life beyond school. Use anecdotes, case studies, and real-life examples from outside the classroom to root your teaching in “the real world”.

Engage with your students’ interests

Find out what already engages your students and build it into the learning process. Using mathematics as an example, you could have students chart their performance in a video game over the week. You might even get your budding social media influencers to calculate a projected number of Instagram followers.

Learning what excites your students does more than just engage them. You’ll build strong relationships and rapport, too.

Fill “dead time”

“Dead time” is any point in a lesson where students are left without something to do. You might be handing out a worksheet, getting a presentation set up, or waiting interminably for a YouTube video to load. These are brief windows that leave just enough time for students to tune out, after which time it can be very difficult to get them back.

Fill these blank spaces with low-order activities to hold students’ attention. These should be quick, easy, and require minimal follow-up. For example:

• 👉🏻Think Pair Share: students reflect on something, discuss with a partner, and then share with the rest of the class once everyone is ready
• 👉🏻Quickwrite: write down three questions or points that have been raised by the lesson so far
• 👉🏻What I know already: if you’re just about to dive into new content, ask students to identify three things they already know about the subject and jot them down as bullet points.

Use group work and collaboration

Collaborating with small groups gives students a welcome break from solo bookwork. They’ll benefit from each other’s perspectives and the ability to verbalize their ideas.

Use your judgment and knowledge of who works well together when organizing group work. Engineering the groups might avoid troublesome partnerships, while allowing students to work with friends might generate the buzz you need for more productive activity.

Encourage students to present and share work regularly

Giving students a regular opportunity to share their thoughts and demonstrate learning in front of their peers drives engagement in two ways:

• 👉🏻it makes students accountable
• 👉🏻it lets them hear from someone other than their teacher.

If your students quiver in fear at the thought of speaking in front of the class, combine presentations with group work. A few ideas:

• 👉🏻Have students present in groups after a group task.
• 👉🏻Let students share each other’s work within smaller groups before asking them to choose one piece to share with the rest of the class.
• 👉🏻Let students read or present their work while sitting down. It avoids the pressure of having to “stand and deliver”.
• 👉🏻Ask for one contribution from each group after discussion, with each group nominating a “spokesperson”.

Above all else, make presenting and sharing a regular part of class activity. Your class will become an equitable and engaging space that echoes with the voice of every student, not just your own!

Gives your students a say

If you don’t know how to engage your students, let them tell you! Give your students a say in classroom activity by:

• 👉🏻providing a choice of different activities (group work)
• 👉🏻seeking student input for assessment design ( students can choose a final product, provided it meets the criteria)
• 👉🏻periodic check-ins to monitor the pace of delivery (“do we need to go over this a bit more slowly or are we feeling pretty confident?”).

Giving students a choice also fosters their sense of ownership over their learning. They’ll move from passive consumers to active learners with a stake in classroom activity.

Get your students moving

If your students struggle to sit still for an entire lesson, get them moving. All that pent-up energy can be channeled into a learning activity that puts them on their feet. Try the following.

• 👉🏻Have students come to the front and brainstorm together on the whiteboard.
• Have students rotate through different stations around the room over the course of an activity.
• 👉🏻Have students split into groups or arrange themselves in different areas of the room.
• 👉🏻Take a stand: have students move to a particular area of the room to indicate their thoughts on an issue “everyone who thinks x, move to the right side of the room; if you think y, stand on the left”.

Movement works equally well to engage sluggish or weary students. A quick bit of physical activity will leave them more alert for the next phase of learning.

Mathematic!

Every single time I tell somebody I’m doing a Mathematics degree, there is one predominant reaction I get: “Woah, that’s deep! You must be a geek.” 

Mathematics is a beautiful subject. You will never find anything more accurate and straightforward. I think it actually depends on whether you enjoy it or not. If you find joy in studying maths, that and that alone makes you a ‘math person’. 

 Most students think math is not ‘their cup of tea’ because our teachers do not make it enjoyable. There is no passion for science in not only math but any subject. Once you start succeeding in solving problems, it is an addiction and the best one at that. But the surroundings we get are not supportive enough to get to that point. Creativity and curiosity is not encouraged.

 Mathematics is a victim just as much as the student Now, a person seems to think anything is his/her cup of tea when he/she succeeds in at least some of it. Be it solving problems or understanding concepts. I would say if you love mathematics, you’re halfway there. A little effort is just what is needed. Success comes to those who are willing to go one extra mile every time they feel they have failed. I like it because I am able to understand the various topics in mathematics well. I am able to conceptualize various geometrical figures and visualize the concepts. I am able to follow the logic of the derivations, laws and theorems. Mathematics does not require a lot of memorizing of paragraphs. 

Mathematics allows us to learn many techniques and then practice them on the basis of those we have learned.

 Mathematics is a subject which is fundamental to every other subject and field in the world. It is basically part of any knowledge. However, some times, going too deep, mathematics becomes inhuman and the world of symbols. This is where many persons will start hating mathematics and then start loving pure sciences or arts. 

 Mathematics is needed to make any engineering method, fabrication of a product. Nowadays, even subjects like entertainment is based on many complicated and recently developed computer based techniques. Those are entirely mathematical. Mathematics and creation of currency has allowed trading of food, and articles in the society. The trade terms are based on appropriate value determination. This is mathematics. Nowadays, health conscious person even count the number of calories in their food. 

Mathematicians had learnt various sciences and enriched them by finding new laws and theorems. They form the basis for us to live comfortably and work for better life in future. The mathematicians and scientists have done a great job and their lives and work are inspiring for all of us. Mathematics can be explained visually, with examples in an interesting way. Then all persons will like it. In fact, the first lessons a child learns are the alphabet and counting of numbers. Such is the importance of mathematics. So I like it because it interestingly solves many practical problems in real life in various fields.

 Math is perfect. It challenges the mind. It has the power to solve real life problems. It explains real observations, and appeals to intuitions most of the time. And it takes us aback with the counter-intuitive results. It produces exact answers. Its abstract, yet purely objective and absolute. Its man-made, yet all the universe is modeled by math. Its incorruptible. It can create art. It can inspire creative thinking, and in that even solving problems is an art of its own. And yet, as subjective of an art that the means may be, the ends are still objective. It has practical uses, and yet you dont need to concern yourself with them, math stands all on its own.

What can we do now that we were not able to do a year ago.

During these hard times that the world is experiencing, it is easy to panic and get upset. Especially during the quarantine, when you feel isolated and very lonely. It may seem that your previous life would never return. Those negative thoughts and feelings can really get to you sometimes. I don’t know about you, but they certainly come to me.the hardest thing for me is missing my friends, whom I have not seen for a long time. Something that helps me is contacting them online.

 

Due to Covid-19 and the lock-down,  I can work and learn at the same time because everything becomes online. me as a teacher, online sessions gave me a chance to watch the recorded sessions whenever I want without having to attend class and instead i can do my work. at the same time there is no need to write every thing because it is saved on my laptop.

 I know that everyone needs to apply technology in learning,work and in our daily life, so we will have a society that has improved knowledge about technology and how to use different applications.

Ways to Build Your Student's Confidence.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our students is to instill in them a strong sense of confidence. In doing this, we enable them to be higher achievers.Confidence breeds success. If students believe they can succeed, they will succeed. As teachers, we're in a highly strategic position to instill confidence in our students as we teach and interact with them every day!

 1) Ensure they know your love is unconditional. Make it clear to your children that you love and care for them even when they make mistakes or poor decisions, and avoid harshly criticizing or shaming them.

 2)Address them by their name. Addressing children by name is a powerful and simple way to send the message that they’re important, especially when paired with friendly eye contact. 

 3)Ask them for their advice or opinion. Ask children for their advice or opinions on age-appropriate situations to show that you value them and their ideas,this also helps children build confidence by demonstrating that even adults need help sometimes, and it’s okay to ask for it.

 4)Make special time together. Teachers can help children feel loved and accepted by getting to know students’ interests or hobbies and making a point of having personalized conversations with each child, like, “How was your soccer game yesterday, Ali?”. 

 5)Encourage them to try new things to develop new skills. Children who lack confidence often shy away from trying new things or tackling new challenges. Encourage the children in your life to branch out, try new activities, and develop new skills. This gives kids the confidence that they can tackle anything that comes their way.

What do you think students should be taught when working online to avoid problems?

Students are more connected than ever before thanks to the internet. Being “always on” can be great, as it can help young people learn and connect with others more easily than you ever did as a child. However, like any communication tool, it does have its downsides. All adults in a child’s life have the responsibility to teach them about internet safety. As their teacher, though, you’re in a unique position to help them. Here’s how you can teach kids about using the internet more safely.

 

 1)The first thing you need to do is create a school policy about internet use. Put everything in clear, easy-to-understand terms.. Then share this policy with students and ask them to sign in before they use IT at school. 

 2)Kids these days often know better than to share passwords or their addresses online, Take the time to have a conversation with your students about how their favorite sites and apps store their information.Do they know that Snap-chat, for example, keeps messages on a server for 30 days?

 

 3)There are a lot of educational services available, but not all of them are trustworthy. Research educational resources before recommending or using them to ensure that others have a positive experience in terms of safety, online safety, and privacy. 

4)educate the students on better ways to use the internet. The more knowledge they have, the less vulnerable to risk they’ll be. 

 These  will help you keep your students safe and educate them about how to use the internet.

Challenges you face when learning/teaching online

Many students have struggled to make the jump from physically being at school to learning virtually,the change in the style of learning now provided has made it harder for many to learn,this physical distance between students and teachers due to the online learning environment has made it difficult for students to be able to connect with their teachers because  it is much harder to show your teachers exactly what you are struggling to learn while when students are physically present in front of a teacher, the teacher has the opportunity to make sure each student is getting the specific help that they need. 

Students are able to ask questions as they arise and teachers can give immediate answers. Asking questions is the best way to learn, although it is very difficult to do online since some students feel shy or they don't know how to use such apps. at the same time there is a lot of students that get bored from the class so they have the freedom to close the camera and the mic. A big issue, especially with some students returning to school, is the availability of the teacher. It is harder for teachers to balance between students online and in school.

How to be a digital citizen !!

ARE YOU A GOOD DIGITAL CITIZEN? 

A good digital citizen protects their personal information, uses good judgment and treats others with respect. Whether you’re posting on social media, sending an email or commenting on an online discussion, practicing good digital citizenship makes our online world a more welcoming place for everyone.

what are the ways that help us to be good digital citizen?

 1. Remember the Golden Rule “Treat people the way you want to be treated or have a member of your family treated!”. 

we have to start teaching our children that this applies not only to face-to-face conversations but also to the conversation and interactions that we have online.

 2. Think About The Future.EVERYTHING IS SAVED ON THE INTERNET! 

 Just because you deleted something from Facebook and Snap chat doesn't mean it's been erased from the internet.Every time you go to a different website, the internet makes little tattoos of everything you do while you're browsing.This leads us to the next point... 

 3. Be Yourself 

The only thing we can be is ourselves.Although we were taught as children not to judge a book by its cover, friends, family and even future employers will look at it because the World Wide Web is not only an open source of information, it also makes your life an open book.

 4.Keep Information Private 

 Be careful on who and how you give way information. Information that is shared not only has effects on the person it’s about but also their family, friends, and yourself.