I call on all school leaders, myself included, to put aside our biases and misconceptions regarding student engagement, as we engage in our own learning experiences during our frequent visits to classrooms.
Let our student actions and dispositions guide our professional assessments.
We in education talk so much about engagement in concert with terms like “collaboration”, “technology”, and “passion”. Is this where the best learning takes place? Sometimes, maybe even often, but certainly not always.
Engagement (student involvement in instruction) can be described in a variety of ways. I think too often engagement is exclusively predefined by educators as “hands on”, “students doing more talking than the teacher”, or “active”. These descriptors may all be key indicators of engagement. But the definition should not stop there.
This Google Add-on allows you to create questions in Google Forms and then eliminate choices based on the selection people make. Think of it for sign-ups when you want people to choose time slots.
This application, which is accessible via Chrome and on iPads, could really be great for younger students looking to capture their learning and see how they have grown. It gives young children the power to create digital portfolios.
15. Did I take advantage of spontaneous learning opportunities when students’ interests had obviously shifted, or did I maintain an inflexible mindset and vow to never deviate from an archaic lesson plan?
17. Was our class set up to promote creativity and collaboration or memorization and silence?
19. Were 21st Century skills embedded within daily assignments?
22. Did I gain professional wisdom by speaking to my collegial mentor?
25. Did I avoid professional negativity by declining to gossip at work?
24. Was the technology in my classroom used in an authentic manner? (Shannon Reed)
26. Did I manage my stress level by enjoying time with my family and friends, by exercising several times a week, by zoning out while engaged in a hobby, and by simply chilling out every once in a while?
28. Did I laugh often with students and colleagues?
31. Did I allow students to co-write their own project-based, learning contracts?
34. How many colleagues did I observe in-action in their classrooms this past school year?
did I remember the names of all co-workers?
39. How balanced were the assignments this year in terms of requiring creativity, practical thinking, and analysis? (Adam Johnson)
40. Did I participate in a professional learning community outside of my school via Twitter?
46. Did I consistently blog as a form of professional self-reflection?
47. Am I a stronger teacher today than when I first stepped into the classroom at the beginning of the school year?
Many teachers I encounter have decided that they need to crack down on — if not entirely eradicate — screen distractions in their classrooms. (A minority of teachers accept it as a form of 21st century doodling.)
If the activity is engaging and challenging, there is an authentic audience, and prescribed time limits, students won’t mess around.
The more time I spend “teaching” teachers something from the front of the room, the more inclined they are to check email, Facebook, or whatever.
Add in the possibility that they they’ll have to present to the entire class, or post their creation online, and they’re even more focused
the activities are challenging and expectations high
it’s more like: “This is hard. And I’m not going to show you how to do it. But I expect what you create will be excellent.
Tell students you’re going to present their work at a conference, or submit it to a state publication, and then watch the heightened focus in their eyes
Teacher lectures impart useful information and explanations, and they can be lively and engaging.