Infographic of the Week: 20+ Ways to Increase Student Participation
As all educators are aware, motivating students to get focused and on task at the beginning of class can sometimes be quite the challenge. Equally problematic, is watching them zone out once you have them locked into a lesson. And of course, getting students to participate in classroom discussions and activities can sometimes be a subject unto itself.
There are varying opinions as to why the attention span of our students is very short. However, regardless of the reason(s), unless the learning tasks are appealing to them, they often times tune out before you get things rolling.
So, what’s the solution? Check out the chart below for some interesting suggestions regarding capturing student interest and keeping them actively involved in lessons from start to finish.
Be sure to use the embedded Zoom.it tools to zero in on the details.
Thanks to Mia MacMeekin who created this useful visual and for sharing these great ideas! Check out her blog here!
Classroom Connection:
Use one or more of these engagement strategies to capture and maintain student focus in your classroom.
These are indeed great ideas to increase student participation! They are important to try to remember to do on a regular basis. However, the thing I have found to make the greatest difference when it comes to increasing participation is to increase students’ “skin in the game”. That is, when they are personally interested in the topics, then they automatically participate! Finding ways to connect the “required” curriculum topic to students’ daily lives and interests is the key to getting them to participate. They always want to know, “Why do we have to learn this stupid stuff??”, so if teachers can show them how it applies directly to them, they are much more open-minded and excited about learning. I have written a number of blogposts about this idea, but here is one that may be useful to your readers: http://convergenceinthecommons.com/2013/04/01/honoring-student-interests/
Thanks for this site! It is extremely useful to all educators! 🙂
Thanks for the positive feedback. It’s very much appreciated! I will definitely check out your blog for additional info related to increasing student participation. Jamie