Engagement = Growth
- Wendy
- Jan 31
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 10
When students are engaged in the learning process, they are more likely to pay attention, focus, think critically, and benefit from the learning environment. Furthermore, students who are engaged are likely to be caught in a favorable cycle of engagement; one behavior reflecting promise feeds directly into another, as shown in the “Cycle of Engagement” diagram below.
Students can enter the cycle at any point, but let’s illustrate this phenomenon starting at Made Connections. Students make connections to real life and between content areas on the same topic; either they have made the realization independently, or it is explicitly explained to them. Regardless, because this new learning is now connected to them in a personal way, they see its value and usefulness. Being hooked into a topic in this way causes interest to grow and flourish. These feelings are reflected in their body language: they sit up straighter; they keep eyes on the speaker and on the materials, and they participate verbally, asking questions and providing answers. As a result, they receive praise from the teacher and amicability from their peers. Not surprisingly, these things lead to increased learning and growth in addition to higher performance and grades. Because these students feel encouraged, empowered, and eager, they are more likely to have the motivation to see connections, realize value, and show interest in the future. It’s a beautiful cycle.
Students could enter the cycle at any time. The previous example outlined students entering the cycle at the Makes Connections circle, but the cycle can start anywhere. Perhaps a student has deep interest in a topic, facilitating greater value and more friendly body language. Maybe a student has an awesome day behaviorally, for any number of reasons, but receives great reward/praise/accolade for good choices, and that causes him/her to make a connection between behavior and reward, causing usefulness and value to surface, followed by interest. There is an interconnectedness here that bounces around the cycle randomly. There is no definite start or end point, and there is no specific order of events. What we know is that one characteristic or behavior contributes to another.
There are things that teachers and administrators can do to promote student captivation. "12 Things Great Teachers Do to Engage Students” is a graphic that summarizes Do’s and Don’ts for creating safe atmospheres where students feel treasured, intrigued, and supported. This is the key to increased engagement.
Taking explicit and intentional steps toward creating a nurturing learning environment that maximizes engagement is essential to ensuring continual student growth. Stay tuned for my next post where I will dig deeper into the "12 Things Great Teachers Do to Engage Students”.
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