The Art of Engagement

To actually “teach,” someone has to learn. To learn, there needs to be engagement.  How do we engage students?

                                         http://www.uvu.edu/studentinvolvement/student/actionlearningcoordinators.html

This is the missing link that alluding our congress people. They delegate the responsibility of teaching our country’s young people to the teachers with a linty of requirements and regulations. Sir Ken Robinson shared a compelling talk on TED Talks and spoke eloquently to this very thing.

(Please take some well spent time to view his talk here)

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley.html

Being a teacher that is actually teaching students requires knowing how to engage them. Engaging students is an art. Teachers do this in slightly or drastically different ways. The more rote our teaching becomes, the less engaged students are and test scores begin to plummet.  The critical piece here is that this is an art. To be artistic there needs to be room for creativity. The more defined each aspect becomes in education, the less room there is to be creative. When I slightly stretch my imagination, I picture congressmen wanting to have school scripted so everyone is teaching the same thing in every school.  I realize that this is the epitome of the one-size-fits-all approach, and that it is unrealistic. As teachers, the more constrained we become, the more this feels like a possibility.

                                           http://menknowpause.fooyoh.com/menknowpause_lifestyle_living/8274514

The more content we are squeezing in, the less depth we can express. True learning takes place in the depths of exploration. So where does this leave us in education with standards screaming past us on a highway intended to take us to the top of the performance scale? Not in the fast lane, that’s for sure. In some cases it might feel like the harder we try to teach all of the content and standards, the poorer the students perform.

                                                                                         http://outofboxcoaching.com/

We need to get out of the box of dispensing information and begin being true facilitators. Who likes to just sit and receive information? Talk about boring. We want to discover it, do something with it and feel it stretch its wings inside us as it helps us sore to new heights of understanding.  We need to remember that our students are no different. Some have lost their motivation, why? Perhaps because they have not been engaged for far too long. How do we pull them back?

How do we get, or keep, the art of engagement in teaching?

Teachers are not against teaching students meaningful information to increase their success in and out of school.  We need to realize that this is not by stuffing their brains full of information that in this day and age they can access with a click of a key. We need to teach them how to evaluate the information they come across and understand how they can apply it to their lives.

There are movements in education pioneering more meaningful approaches to climb the mountain of requirements and stretching our educational creativity to consolidate standards. This results in deeper experiences to cover much that has been prescribed. However, there are some drawbacks to this approach. It is not only labor intensive to create these experiences, but it takes a level of skill that is not necessarily taught in teacher’s education courses.  Beyond that, this approach is not going to work all of the time. There is still time spent going over what has to be gone over. This is not often terribly meaningful.

                                        http://www.bamradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=12&itemid=209

Making learning relevant is critical and should go without saying. Making students efforts count towards something more tangible than a letter grade is even better. Let’s stop teaching them what to think and start teaching them how to think. This will bring them much more success in an ever-changing world. 

How do I become more flexible?

                                                         http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/06/flexibility-good-your-small-business.html

Flexibility hinges on focus. If your focus is on the minute details, what you have planned a specific moment of a specific day, it is easy to get your feathers ruffled when a wrench is thrown into your plans.

                                                             http://lglo.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/the-lighthouse-that-lost-its-way/

When you are able to focus on the bigger picture, it is easier to see how things can shift and adjust to continue toward the larger goal. In the world of education, we are guided by standards. These standards are like the lighthouse to guide us. Although you may be blown off course momentarily with an unplanned assembly or students that took longer to comprehend a concept, with the standard in sight you simply readjust your sails and realign your curriculum.

The more you teach, the more you realize that exceptions are not actually exceptions, they’re the norm. Just enjoy the ride. The earlier you accept that this is what it means to teach kids, perhaps the less gray hair you will get.  

                                                                   http://onthejob.45things.com/2013_01_01_archive.html

Maybe not.  

Will I always be this exhausted?

Am I going to be this tired everyday after teaching?

                                            http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/10/29/first-year-teacher-halloween-isnt-only-dark-day-october

Some days are tougher than others, but there is good news.  Managing a classroom is somewhat like driving a car.

                                            http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/10/29/first-year-teacher-halloween-isnt-only-dark-day-october

You start with the basics…10:00 and 2:00. Just like drivers ed. You need to stick to a structured routine and have firm expectations. Just like learning to drive, you need to minimize distractions because it takes concentration and conscious thought to pull it all together in the classroom.

                                          http://www.visualphotos.com/image/2x4109523/men_driving_red_convertible

As with driving, after a lot of practice, you can relax a bit and still maintain control. It is less effort, but when the “terrain” gets challenging, you know to go back to 10:00 and 2:00. This might be needed when you get a new class or when an unexpected dynamic takes place. No matter what, you need to know where 10 and 2 are and be able to go back to it whenever you need. The rest of the time…relax and enjoy the ride.  Enjoy the kids. 

Listen Up

                                    Photo of students not listening. http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read.php?40,982369,982369,quote=1

How do you get kids to listen to you?

For some, just stepping into the classroom is enough for them to understand it is time to pay attention. For many, this is not the case. These are the ones my student teacher is concerned about. Aren't we all?
Approaches may be as different as the kids you are addressing.

To begin with you need to set clear expectations. It's healthy for students to construct these with you. They need to have buy in and an understanding behind what will make the classroom an effective learning environment. There needs to be defined ways to enforce (by peers and/or the teacher) the agreed upon expectations. Clear communication alleviates the need for most students to test the boundaries. 

How do you get kids to HEAR you?

Photo: Students listening to teacher. http://www.evolveimages.com/media/b2b48c76-f694-11e0-b368-a57c07a8442b-high-school-students-listening-to-teacher

Oh, now this can be a different story.

Once you have a personal connection, you are no longer a noise but have a voice.

Some students can be intimidated into listen to you if you approach them with a sense of authority, but then they are doing so with a tint of resentment. Some still don't care. How do you reach these kids? Be authentic. Be who you are. Kids see though pretenses and respect you more if you are just who you are. Be that person inside they can relate to.  You don’t need to over disclose, but don't be afraid to be a little vulnerable, but keep clear boundaries.

One year I had an "informal leader" in my class that was gifted at taking the students in the down the rocky terrain of side tracked discussions. It was literally exhausting to try to reign in the class constantly. I had tried all of the "standard" tactics to manage behavior with varying degrees of inconsistant success. One day I took this student into the hall and our discussion sounded something like this:

"You have a special gift of leadership that can serve you well in the future. I'd like to help you hone those skills to work in your favor."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Look how the class responds to your every word. Not everyone has that effect."

(Nod)

"I have a goal I'm trying hard to reach with this class. I want to be able to have a relaxed, productive environment where we can all enjoy learning and I was wondering if you could help me out."

"How?"

"I need you to be on my team, because if you are, I'm confidant we can all win."

"What do you mean?"

"You all have goals, things you want to be able to do in life. I'm one of those stepping stones along the path to your dreams. Let me be a big step and lift you as high as I can in the time that we're together...

Can you help me out?"

(Nod)

"Thanks."

The end result was the difference between night and day. This student felt appreciated and respected. He was now a "team" player and took that responsibility to heart. The culture of that class went from frazzled to functional simply with disclosure, respect and appreciation. It wasn't magic, but it sure felt like it. 

*Please post your thoughts and experiences that have impacted how you apply this aspect of classroom management.

We Teach Children

"Oh, what do you do?"

"I'm a teacher."

"What do you teach?"

"Children."

These are exciting times in education as we take a tight curve on the road of education. The movement now is to be a facilitator of learning, a training ground for technology. We are to encourage students to engage in critical thinking and produce authentic individual work.  Sometimes we lose sight of what teaching is all about. We are here to inspire young people to learn and explore. We need to take them beyond the books!

                     

                     Photo: Student and Books. http://www.distance-education.org/Articles/Six-Reasons-Why-You-Shouldn-t-Go-Back-to-School--118.html

Many of us are given an opportunity to mentor a student teacher. This is a daunting task as we are the bridge between the textbook theory and multifaceted reality. The practical approaches to working with students are as different as the personalities of the teachers. What works for one, may not work for another. An atypical approach that most of us never thought of might be just the needed insight a student teacher would need to add to their tool box of strategies.  

I have a student teacher and would like to give her the opportunity to hear a variety of perspectives to the many questions and concerns she has. This is a call to teachers to chime in with your tips, tricks and wisdom to unlock the mysteries of educating students...in the real world.