It is very important to keep students engaged in learning and not realistic to believe that students will have their mind and focus on their studies all the time. It’s the educator as well as parents job to keep students engaged in constructive work.
Primary reasons to keep students engaged
- An empty mind is a wasted mind: it is necessary for a student to be busy with work during school as well as vacation. If not, then the student will become engaged in things that may not be good for their growth. They will try to explore things not suitable for their age. Basically students are not any different from adults. If we don’t find anything to interest them, they will find something else that will interest them.
- No play, only work is not good for children: if a student is only engaged in education and studies, the student will become removed from the outside world. It is very important to give students some extra activities to get refreshed and explore their talents. It is very challenging to get a student focused, eager, and engaged in some task especially at the time before holidays and during vacation when their mind is not on their studies.
Ways to increase student engagement
1. Avoid “dead times” at all expense.
There are times called “dead times” that can be contagious for students. It is the time when students who are on task keep wondering “Why should I do this work when others are not?” This is the time that teachers must avoid. It is very important to give equal opportunity to all students. To end this dead time, one needs to create an arsenal of routines and activities.
2. Always have a backup of activities to use at any given time.
These activities can be of various kinds ranging from general purpose activities to some specific content based activities. It has to go beyond general listening and recalling. Physical activities can be good for the student’s engagement. It unleashes pent up energy and gives students a chance to show their talent. For example, you can use various dance movements to get students focused.
3. Communication always improves the situation.
One can also use a student-to-student communication activity that will ensure that the educator gets to know a student’s thoughts. Always start class with thought provoking warm-up exercises. For example, you can ask students to find the mistakes in material written on the board. You also cultivate a culture of achievement in the classroom as it keeps the student thinking.
You might think that these things often take time to organize, but it’s worth the result. It will pay off!
Read our other articles about student engagement
Steps to Help Students Successfully Transition Schools
Little known ways to keep students in school
Teacher Strategies for Disruptive Students
Teach Diverse Strategies And Reach All Students
Student Engagement Strategies To Motivate Student Learning
