10 Quick and Easy Strategies for Student Engagement

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10 Quick and Easy Strategies for Student Engagement

Jim [email protected]

Using Brain-Based Research to Energize the Classroom

mailto:[email protected]


Session Objectives:

ALL participants will learn:· Key facts from brain-based research to

enhance teaching and learning.· School-wide and individual strategies

to increase engagement and achievement.


What Can We Learn from Brain-Based Research?

· The short-term memory can handle only a few items at once.

· Young adults can handle 6-9 new ideas/concepts at one time.

· The first 20 minutes of the lesson should contain the most important/newest material.

· Physical activities & games (like warm-ups) are best placed in down-time when students are easily distracted and need a change of pace.

· Chunking lessons into smaller ‘episodes’ (ideally of 20 minutes) is more productive than one continuous block.


Strategies to Enhance Engagement…

10 Quick and EasyStrategies for Any

Content Area

GREAT READERS at Piedra Vista High Always…

1. …have a specific purpose for reading.2. …think about what they already know as they are reading.3. …make sure they understand what they just finished

reading.4. …look at and study the pictures.5. …predict what will happen next.6. …paint ‘mental pictures’ in their minds.7. …form opinions based on reading.8. …draw conclusions about their reading.9. …try to figure out the meaning of new words before looking

them up.10. …practice reading out loud to themselves every now and

then.

#1


Roll Call Activity

· Verbally done· Can be used to begin or end class· All students are required to respond· Use a secret word

#2

Compare and Contrast Thinking “Glasses”#3

Compare and Contrast Thinking “Glasses”

Romeo Juliet

SimilaritiesDifferences

Differences

Exit Slip/Ticket Out the Door

What did you LEARN Today?

Your Name:__________________

#4

Unit Planner—Example A

11

#5

Unit Planner—Example B

Character/Concept Map

Key: CharacterSubject

TraitCharacteristic Evidence

Example

#6

Character/Concept Map

Three-Square Reflection StrategyDirections: After reading the assigned section of the text or the assigned article, complete the following steps on the content you read.Step One: Write down three quotes from the text that your believe are important.

Step Two: Write down three key facts that you learned from the section you read.

Step Three: Write down three connections to your personal world that you found or can make based on your reading of the selection(s).

#7

MIX and MATCH

X + 17 = -20

The Old Man and The Sea

Elvis Presley

Sodium Na

Hound Dog

-37

E. Hemingway

#8

Four Corners (15-20 Minutes)

This is an especially effective activity in social studies, language arts or science courses, where students encounter controversial issues. State a situation or dilemma, then ask students to go to one of four corners of the room, marked Strongly Agree, Agree, Strongly Disagree and Disagree. There, students exchange their opinions or reasoning and summarize their reasoning for presentations to the other three corners.

***May be Modified to Advanced Four Corners…

Source: Fleming and Fleming—How to Manage Instruction in the Block (Prentice Hall)

#9

Jumbled Summary (5-10 Minutes)

Write key words or phrases from an explanation or introduction in random order on a page to be photocopied. Following the presentation, ask pairs to “unscramble” the terms and reorder them in logical sequence as a knowledge check.

Write down in logical, linear sequence key words or phrases related to some concept you have taught recently or will be teaching. Now scramble them to create a list your students can reorder in proper sequence.


#10


Lagniappe…

A few more…

Prediction Pairs (5-10 Minutes)

Divide the class into pairs and have students work in pairs as they listen to a short story you are reading aloud. Read a short passage, then pause to ask the prediction pairs to state “What will happen next?” and “What are your reasons for this prediction based on the story so far?”

List some short stories, brief passages or narrative that you can read aloud in segments, pausing to ask students for their predictions.


K-W-L Trio (15 Minutes)Before a film, lecture or reading, have students work in

teams of three to write down what they already know about the subject and what they want to learn about the subject. Then show the film, deliver the lecture, or engage the group in the reading. Have each trio:

· Circle the “known” information that was covered· Put asterisks next to the questions that were

answered on their list· Add other things that they learnedSource: Fleming and Fleming—How to Manage Instruction in the Block (Prentice Hall)

21


The Big Six Literacy Strategies Any Teacher Can and Should Use

1. Summarizing

2. Paraphrasing

3. Categorizing

4. Inferring

5. Predicting

6. Recognizing Academic/Technical vocabulary


Other Engaging Instructional Strategies

· Cooperative learning· Project-based

learning· Socratic method· Anticipation guides

· Videos· Readings· Demonstrations

· Technology integration· Graphing calculators· Excel· Blogs· TeacherTube

· Literacy Strategies· Use of manipulatives · Multi-intelligences

approach


Session Objectives:

ALL participants will learn:· Key facts from brain-based research to

enhance teaching and learning.· School-wide and individual strategies

to increase engagement and achievement.


Thank you!!!

Jim [email protected]

Documents

10 Quick and Easy Strategies for Student Engagement