Engagement Strategies to Check For Understanding

Engagement Strategies to Check for Understanding  Engagement is active.  It requires that students  be attentive as well as in attendance;  be committed to the task  find some inherent value in what they are being asked to do

Engagement Strategies to Check for Understanding  Psychologically, engaged learners are intrinsically motivated by curiosity, interest, and enjoyment, and are likely to want to achieve their own intellectual or personal goals.  In addition, the engaged child demonstrates the behaviours of concentration, investment, enthusiasm, and effort

Howard Gardner “We are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile of intelligences - and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains." - The Unschooled Mind, 1991

Howard Gardner  Multiple Intelligence Theory Students learn & understand through different “intelligences” Understanding entails taking knowledge gained in one setting and using it in another. Verbal / Linguistic Logical / Mathematical Visual / Spatial Bodily / Kinesthetic MusicalInterpersonal IntrapersonalNaturalist

Each “team member” takes a turn talking about a subject for 60 then 30 seconds Can be used for summarizing a topic and getting it to better stick in the minds of the students Effective strategy because it helps students – through interpersonal interaction which helps them to be more engaged and more able to remember what they are hearing in a social setting – to learn to better express themselves quickly and with little preparation time – to better understand logical thinking to create their argument Speaks to the psychology of the adolescent as a social being Energizing and fast-paced activity

The Multiple Intelligences Interpersonal: – engaging in a sort of debate with other students in order to get ideas across Linguistic: – the students need to be able to effectively express themselves to each other though spoken language Logical/Mathematical: – the students need to be able to quickly and effectively organize their thoughts and the information they want to share with others so that it can be absorbed successfully – they need to be able to understand the underlying principles of the system they are discussing

Create a “Game Show” Theme  Example “Game”  Before game – take up homework Math Game  Divide class into two groups  Give rules to game  Play game  Multiple Intelligence Used: Logical-Mathematical, Interpersonal, & Linguistic Intelligences

“Game Show” Activity  Why It works Allows for continued learning Promotes problem solving  How it affects the adolescent psychology Information Processing  Interpretation  Higher order thought processes  Problem solving

Challenge Students to Incorporate Music into a Project  Musical, Interpersonal, & Bodily- Kinesthetic Intelligences  The Linear Function Song The Linear Function Song  Some students learn best  When learning is linked to their sense of rhythm & music  When working with others  Through action, hands-on activities, & manipulating materials

Characteristics of Successful Engagement Experiences  Foster active investigation  Promote group interaction  Allow for choice  Include games and humour  Nurture independent thinking  Keep students occupied  Support subject matter mastery  Tie project to student assessment

Howard Gardner “An important symptom of an emerging understanding is the capacity to represent a problem in a number of different ways and to approach its solution from varied vantage points” - The Unschooled Mind, 1991

Conclusion  Use a wide range of engagement strategies & activities  Implement them well  Capture the interest of students as they learn the skills and concepts necessary for success in school  Students will experience what it feels like to be engaged in learning … a lifelong gift