From Compliance to Engagement: Inspiring Students Beyond Following Rules

One of the toughest things to understand as a new teacher or someone outside of education is that there is a big difference between students being compliant and students being engaged. Students can be sitting quietly in the classroom staring straight ahead at the board, but that doesn't mean anything is taken in by them. It is a sticky subject, because it often takes a long, hard look inward to truly see if your students are being engaged or compliant. Let's take a look at some examples and see how we can try to move students toward engagement. 

Compliant

Vs

Engaged

1. Compliant Students: Raising Hands, but Reluctantly

Compliance: You know the type—they do their homework, answer when called upon, and follow classroom rules. They’re not causing trouble, but they’re not volunteering answers, either. They’re just following the script. This was me for many of my classes growing up. Just going through the motions because that is what was expected of me at school. I didn't want any type of attention and I would freeze if a teacher cold called me. 

Moving to Engagement

Strategy: Mix things up by letting the students collaborate! Give them a problem that requires them to brainstorm, discuss, and find innovative solutions with their peers. Think, Pair, and Share your questions to have students thinking and connecting. Ask questions and have students move to spots in the room that coincide with their opinions. Movement can help get the brains working and seeing that you can connect with others will help those students who just want to sit and do nothing. It is tougher to sit quietly and just be present when you need to move around and connect with peers. 

2. Compliant Students: Working Silently, but Bored

Compliance: These students complete assignments quietly and on time but often seem bored and disconnected. They meet the minimum requirements without a hint of excitement. The bare minimum is all some students will give if asked to fill out forms or take notes day after day. They lack the motivation to truly be engaged with the content. Students can often be bored because the content does not interest them, it is too easy, or the level of engagement is too high from them to meet. 

Moving to Engagement

Strategy: Let’s give them a little more creative control! Invite them to design a project that allows them to blend their personal interests with your lesson goals. This way, they see learning not as an obligation, but as a platform for self-expression. Whether it’s creating an animation, writing a short story, or developing a prototype, let them choose their medium and topic. Project Based Learning and MakerEd are great ways to engage students in learning. Having them explore topics that match their interests and having them create artifacts that demonstrate their learning are great ways to have them engaged in the learning process. Sitting and taking notes is not the way to create an engaging classroom for students all of the time. 

3. Compliant Students: Writing Down Notes, but Not Asking Questions

Compliance: Some students take diligent notes, but they never question or dig deeper. They’re content copying down what’s on the board without much thought to why it matters. Students are pretty good at figuring out school. If they know a teacher is just giving notes and the notes make up the assessment, they will do the notes, study, and take the assessment. This creates great test-takers, but terrible critical thinkers. Recording information is an important skill to have, but taking the next step and placing meaning on the information and deciding how that meaning impacts great things is something that cannot just be ignored. 

Moving to Engagement

Strategy: Flip the script with open-ended questions that require critical thinking. Pose a question that doesn’t have one right answer, and let them brainstorm and hypothesize in pairs or groups. Allow them to present their findings and encourage them to ask their own questions. Push the students to look at multiple answers and solutions to problems. Have them engage in research and rebut possible conclusions. Push the students to push back on the provided notes. Just providing all of the answers for the students does not help them learn to find the answers for themselves later in life. 

Recap

There are going to be plenty of times when students are going to come to class and check out for a wide range of reasons. Few students can be engaged every class every day of the year. However, teachers should work on creating environments where students will have difficulty checking out. High energy classes that push student thinking and encourage them to engage with the content in ways that get them out of their seat and beyond their notebook helps with class engagement.

On a connected note, classroom management issues will also drop because bored students that choose to be disruptive will be less likely to be a distraction because they are engaged in the content. Creating engaging learning environments does not happen overnight, but it is worth putting in the time because those dynamic classes are so much fun for the students and the teachers. 

Maintaining Student Engagement Beyond the New Year Honeymoon

The start of the school year can bring stress to teachers, but there is a certain type of buzz that the students have about being back. Everything is new. New classes, new lockers, new classmates, new clubs, etc. There is a certain honeymoon period at the start of the year where students are more willing to try new things and get along because they are happy to be back. However, that honeymoon does not last forever. Teachers need to find creative ways to keep students engaged beyond the honeymoon period. There are some tips that can help make the post honeymoon class time better for everyone. 

Flexibility is Key

As the year progresses, your students are going to grow and change. As they do, it is important to remember to be flexible. Pay attention to their evolving interests and passions. That cool Youtuber they love might be “super cringe” now. Their hormones are going to change and tempers can become short. Being adaptable during this time is important. Students will need to be shown some grace as they navigate complex emotions. Being flexible with students will allow them to feel those big feelings without fear of punishment. Students will make mistakes and it is important that they are given the space to make them and recover from them. The teacher’s flexibility will really determine how engaged some students will be throughout the year. 

Incorporate Hands-On Learning

I always apologize to my students about the first few days of class because they are the most boring days. Too much of the teacher talking and students sitting and listening. If that is how class is always going to be, students are going to check out and the teacher will find it hard to get them back. Hands-on learning is a great way to keep students engaged in class. Students should be up and moving often in classes. It is good for the brain! This article from Edutopia showcases great ways to bring more movement into the classroom. Getting students up from their desk and engaged in the lesson is a wonderful, and easy, way to get them engaged in the classroom. Not every lesson needs to be hands-on, just more than you might traditionally do in the classroom. 

Harness the Power of Technology

One of the things I have seen used in the classroom that has really changed students' engagement is how teachers are using Kahoot. Students are super engaged in the quiz games and the classrooms are hopping! Bringing tech into the classroom can be a fun change to the traditional day. It can be some that motivates students to do the work because they know there is a Kahoot later in the week. Using tools like Adobe Express or Canva to let the students create digital projects can help increase the engagement of students in the classroom. These free pieces of technology can really help students stay connected to the class and support their long term learning. 

Set Clear, Achievable Goals

One of the things I have seen that have helped students stay engaged in class is to have clear, achievable goals. Sometimes the school year can seem endless and it is hard to get up and tackle the whole year. Breaking that year into small chunks and celebrating when they are completed is a great way to keep students engaged. Throw a mini party when you finish that unit. Reward the students for making it through that exam they were anxious about taking. Make sure the goals are clear and achievable and the students will feel so much better when they get to cross those items off the class to-do list. 

Keep Your Own Passion Alive

Don’t forget to keep your fire lit. As a teacher, it can be tough to keep the same energy level up all year. There are going to be dips, but those can be mitigated. One of the ways to do that is to attend conferences, read articles, and stay connected with the other educators. Also, you can completely disconnect from the educational world on weekends and just explore something that you are interested in and share that with students. I recharge by going to a conference and getting flooded by all of these amazing ideas from teachers across the country. I also know teachers who would rather spend their time being lazy in their garden and they come back energized. Find your own passion and let that drive you throughout the year. 

The ups and downs of enthusiasm throughout the school year are very normal. Yet, by being proactive, adaptive, and responsive to our students' needs, we can ensure that engagement remains high long after the novelty of the new year fades. Remember, every day is an opportunity to reignite that spark of curiosity and wonder in our students.

Hugs and High Fives,

NP

Project Based Learning Q&A #PBL

I've decided to start a series of posts based on the common questions I get from teachers about Project Based Learning. There are some commons problems that teachers encounter when using PBL in the classroom and I thought I would help address them. Also, there are some misconceptions about PBL that some teachers have that prevent them from embracing it in their classroom. I will also talk about those and hopefully clear up confusion about them. 

Problem #1

"I feel like I don't have anything to do when students are working on their projects."

There is this feeling that teachers that use PBL in the classroom are not "doing" as much as teachers using a traditional lecture approach to instruction. This is both correct and incorrect. During PBL in the classroom, you should not be spending much time lecturing. In a sense, you are doing less in terms of lecturing and that is why it might feel like you are not doing as much. 

During PBL time in the classroom, since the teacher time is not dedicated to lecture, it should be dedicated to engagement and conferencing. While it might not be possible to conference with every student in one class period, it is possible over multiple periods. Start with the students who might need more attention and work your way around the room. The conversations are good for helping students fine-tune their project or get support in other ways from the teacher. It is also an opportunity for the teacher to get to know the students a little better as they explain their approach to the project. You will find that you are busier checking in with all of these students than just standing and talking to the class for an entire period. 

The difference in these two approaches is they type of engagement that happens in the classroom. 

The teacher speaking and the students listening is passive engagement. Even then, you cannot be sure if a student is even passively engaged because they might be looking at you, but you can't be sure their focus is on what is being said. Passive engagement does not work for many students. They need something more from the class if they are going to be successful. 

When the students are working and the teacher is moving around the room, you have active engagement. Students are researching, designing, building, and are otherwise engaged in different ways. The teacher is physically moving around the room and engaging in conversations with students to learn about their projects and offer support as needed. You can see if students are actively engaged because they will be doing something or talking directly to you. 

Project Based Learning is about giving the students the chance to explore and learn in ways that are meaningful to them. As a teacher, it is important to fight the urge to just become a passive member of the classroom during this time. Get up and engage the students in their work and you will find that you are "busier" than the times you lectured for the class. 

Come back and check out new posts on PBL. If you have a PBL questions, send it to me and I could make it the next post! You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @TheNerdyTeacher. 

Aspects of Effective Project Based Learning #PBLChat #EdChat

I've been meaning to write about my adventures in Project Based Learning for a while. It's a topic many teachers are interested in, but are unsure of how to implement it or know if it is working. After much thought, I have broken down Project Based Learning into the 5 parts that make it effective in the classroom.

Long before my Epic Romeo and Juliet Project, the first major project I created was during my student teaching 10 years ago. I thought it would be a great idea to do a mock trial in my class after reading Huck Finn. I wanted to have the students put Mark Twain on trial for being a racist. At the time, there was some more uproar across the nation on whether or not Huck should be taught in schools. We had discussed the topic in class and I thought this would be a great way for students to explore both sides of the issue and make up their mind.

As I look back at the project, I notice all of the things that made this project work that lead to deep understanding. Here are 5 major parts of Project Based Learning that make it valuable to the classroom.

1. OWNERSHIP is key. For this project, the students were not listening to me on why Twain was or was not a racist, they were showing me and the rest of class what they thought. They were invested in winning their argument. They knew that their work was going to determine if he was guilty or not. Although I gave the assignment, the students were in charge the rest of the way. It was their project and they wanted to do it. When students feel they own what they are doing, they will work harder. When the audience is larger, they want to impress everyone. These are not crazy ideas, they are the results of owning the work they are doing. OWNERSHIP is a major factor in the value of PBL.

2. CREATIVITY is the another major part of the PBL and is closely linked with OWNERSHIP. Students were allowed to be creative in their work as a lawyer or witness. Witnesses needed to stay within character, but could add their own elements on the witness stand. Allowing the students to create gives them a bigger sense of OWNERSHIP.

3. Another part of the PBL is COLLABORATION. Students were working with each other trying to decide the best plan of attack. Witnesses would meet with their lawyers and discuss how the questions they were going to ask and how they should dress. The Jury worked on group projects researching the previous public opinions on Twain and his writing. Students were sharing ideas freely with one another. I had three sections of American Lit at the time, so I had three trials running. Lawyers would help others in the other classes and trash talk the opposing lawyers as well. It was all in good fun, but the collaboration had students working hard with one another to accomplish this goal.

4. Depending on how you set up your project, CRITICAL THINKING, is also an important part of PBL. With my Twain Trial, students needed to think about both sides of the argument. Students needed to prepare their witnesses for potential cross-examination questions. They needed to anticipate problems each witness presented and be prepared to counter them. In a world were homework can be tedious and memorization rules supreme, PBL is a great way to get kids thinking critically.

5. Lastly, Project Based Learning can be FUN! It seems obvious, but I have seen many projects that are very tedious. They have kids go through the motions and leave very little room for FUN or CREATIVITY. Projects are a chance for students to break the regular routine of reading and writing in some classes. Most kids are excited to do a project because they finally see it as a chance to express themselves in a format other than a test or essay. The FUN comes from the freedom students feel. Working with their friends (COLLABORATION), taking charge of their learning (OWNERSHIP), solving real problems (CRITICAL THINKING) and allowing students to create (CREATIVITY) all lead to the students learning in a FUN environment.

Once, my students created their own Transcendentalist Society. A colleague and I tweaked a lesson from Gwen S. Price. It went very well and really drove class discussion. The kids would go back to it throughout the year and discuss the elements of the project and the unit and how they connect with the current class discussion.

If you have any thoughts on bringing PBL to your classroom, please do not hesitate to contact me.

- @TheNerdyTeacher