Advice on Getting More Engagement this Fall from Educators Who Get It

Engagement in the classroom isn't just about keeping students busy, it’s about enhancing learning outcomes and fostering an interactive educational environment. As educators, understanding how to capture and maintain students' interest is critical. 

Labster recently hosted the Science ImmersEd virtual conference that invited amazing educators to share peer-to-peer advice on their experience  pioneering innovative strategies to boost student engagement. We’re excited to share them with you!

Small Teaching Strategies

Implementing different teaching strategies is the first step to change the classroom environment and make it engaging for students to learn. From Labster's Engaging Student Learners through Small Teaching session, Dr. Laura Carruth advocates for “small teaching” a method where minor adjustments to classroom routines can create significant engagement differences. She suggests, “So these are brief interventions that you can add into any class period…You can focus on a few tweaks that you might make which actually can have a really large impact.”

For example, starting a class by asking students to recap the previous lesson, or introducing a short and interactive activity within the first five minutes. Applying the small teaching strategies can energize and focus students from distractions. These small interventions are manageable yet powerful making them ideal for busy educators.

The Role of Curiosity and Motivation

Engaging students goes beyond keeping them busy, it involves raising their curiosity and linking classroom content to real-world applications. Dr. Carruth explains, “We can create an environment where students are intrinsically motivated by often connecting to real-world relevance.” This approach not only helps students understand the “why” behind what they're learning but also helps their connection to the material. 

She further notes, “Connecting what we're teaching to the real-world and helping them see connections with each other are strong motivators for students.” By integrating real-world contexts and encouraging students to draw connections, educators can foster a more engaging and motivating learning environment.

Engagement Strategies in Attendance

Attendance of the classroom is an especially important factor for students to gain full knowledge from the course. From Labster's The Great Student Engagement Debate: Do Students Need Greater Guidance or Grit? session, Adam Hrincevich offers a creative approach to boosting class attendance and engagement through his “Word of the Day” strategy. He explains, “One of the ways I estimate engagement is I use something called ‘My Word of the Day’…I can tease them with the more words of the days they have the more bonus they can earn on their exam.” This method not only makes attendance more appealing but also integrates fun and learning. By motivating students with exam bonuses for participation, it encourages students to be more present and active in class.

From the same session, Lucia Santacruz emphasized the importance of integrating attendance into overall course engagement, treating it as a significant component of the final grade. She champions situated learning theory, which ties academic concepts to real-life applications. “I do take attendance and I factor in attendance as a segment of the final grade,” Lucia notes. This method not only motivates students to attend but also encourages them to participate actively, knowing their engagement level directly influences their grades.

Overcoming Post-COVID Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped educational norms, particularly affecting student engagement and attendance. Adam Hrincevich reflects on this impact, “One of the phrases that we heard at the beginning is that we've lost two to three years of student progress based on COVID.” Based on this, he emphasizes the importance of transparent communication and setting clear expectations from the start of the semester. This approach helps eliminate misunderstandings and aligns students' efforts with course goals.

Final Thoughts

As we approach another academic term, these peer-to-peer strategies provide a solid foundation for enhancing student engagement. By implementing small teaching strategies, connecting learning to real-world scenarios, and innovatively motivating attendance, educators can foster an effective learning environment.

Try incorporating some of these methods in your classrooms this fall!