Another great resource by Mary Kim Schreck is her book titled You’ve Got to Reach Them to Teach Them: Hard Facts About the Soft Skills of Student Engagement. Some of the main topics covered in this book include the importance of relationships, emotions, and environment. Establishing healthy relationships is key to achieving student success. Schreck discusses various ways as to how teachers can help students bring out their best. By doing so, this will ultimately create a positive environment in the classroom. By allowing them to make mistakes, take risks, and feel confident, students will be able to immerse themselves in their learning. This book makes strong connections to real-life situations and is relevant due to its inclusion of journal entries and comments directly from students. Schreck uses scientific research to prove her claims and discusses various strategies that can be implemented in the classroom to increase student engagement and academic achievement.

Schreck, M.K. (2010). You’ve Got to Reach Them to Teach Them: Hard Facts About the Soft Skills of Student Engagement. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

As with many of my resources, this one also discusses the importance of developing positive relationships with students and including student interests in learning activities. “Learning can no longer be understood as a one-way exchange where we teach, they learn”. The article emphasizes that teaching is a reciprocal process – students must be listened to and valued for who they are. This leads to greater student engagement which ultimately leads to greater student achievement. Involving students as “partners in change” rather than “targets of change” allows teachers to view students in more dimensions that just the academic and supports students in playing an active role in their learning. By getting to know our students, we can develop meaningful relationships and begin to understand our students’ strengths and needs. This helps teachers make authentic student connections and better inform planning. For instance, teachers will know if their students have access to computers or if they have responsibilities at home. Understanding contexts help teachers personalize learning and engage students. The article also contains information from a study that reported on what students want. Being able to solve real problems, make a difference in the world, and see how subjects are interconnected are important priorities for students. It is crucial for teachers to understand that engaging students in learning is not a linear process and cannot be achieved “once and for all”. It must be negotiated and evaluated regularly.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2011). Student Identity and Engagement in Elementary Schools. Capacity Building Series. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved from: https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/

From Tired to Inspired by Mary Kim Schreck teaches strategies to engage students in literacy. However, as with some of my other resources, the strategies in this book can also be transferred across various subject areas. Schreck describes the importance of improving the quality of “talk” in the classroom. There needs to be a change in who is doing the talking and how it is structured. Teachers need to encourage an inquiry-based approach to learning and move away from interrogations. Conversations are a high-quality opportunity for deeper learning and teachers needs to provide opportunities for students to question, converse, and be active listeners. In accordance with 21^st century learning, teachers need to move away from the front of the room, both figuratively and literally. However, when teachers are providing instruction, responding with something as simple as “yes, and…” as opposed to “yes, but…” to a student’s response can go a long way. If educators can teach students through rehearsals (i.e: possible methods of solving problems), modeling (i.e: there can be more than one right answer), and role-playing activities, students can become active learners and use class discussions effectively to engage with the learning material.

Schreck, M.K. (2013). From Tired to Inspired: Fresh Strategies to Engage Students in Literacy. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Revisit, Reflect, Retell by Linda Hoyt is a great resource for engaging students in activities related to reading comprehension. The book also includes DVD’s with footage of the author using some of the strategies with students. This book is an updated edition that shows how teachers can scaffold instruction to engage students in learning. For instance, the culture of learning is one of respect in which teachers and learners are partners. It is important for teachers to set the stage for comprehension by asking questions such as “can someone say that in another way?” or “who can elaborate on what was just said?”. The author uses scientific research in proving her claims. In addition to these strategies, the book also contains various assessment tools and “parent pages”. The assessment tools include teacher tools as well as self-assessment tools. The “parent pages” are letters to parents that indicate what is being taught and how parents can support their child’s learning at home. Although the book is aimed at engaging students in reading comprehension, many of the strategies can easily be transferred to other subject areas.

This article explains the importance of integrating technology into classrooms to allow students to make real world connections. Technology is everywhere and assists us with everyday tasks, from scheduling appointments to driving our cars. Teachers also need to understand that this is one way in which we can differentiate learning for our students as multimedia can be effective for visual and auditory learners. The article lists some ways in which teachers can incorporate technology into classrooms, such as by inviting experts using live-streaming, and allowing students to present projects and assignments using forms of multimedia. When students are given the opportunity to use technology, they are more likely to explore the learning material further. The technology aspect of learning can intrigue students and allow them to gain more from the experience. Research shows that implementing technology in schools leads to increased student engagement and an improvement in teacher performance. It also leads to greater student-teacher interaction.

Murphy, E. (2011 June 18). How Streaming Video and Multimedia Helps Educators and Students Exceed 21st Century Learning Expectations.  Retrieved from: http://www.howtolearn.com/2011/06/how-streaming-video-and-multimedia-helps-educators-and-students-exceed-21st-century-learning-expectations/

Edutopia, published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, is a great resource that offers valuable information on many education-related topics. The website caters to various groups including students, parents, teachers, and administrators. The website focuses on six core learning strategies. These include comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, project-based learning, social and emotional learning, teacher development, and technology integration. In terms of student engagement, there are articles and videos on inquiry-based learning and the importance of incorporating technology to keep students motivated. As well, there are many articles and posts about effective strategies to implement in the classroom. In particular, the website emphasizes student autonomy and the use of activities that are relevant and related to student interests. Including these strategies in classroom activities will reinforce intrinsic motivation and allow students to make the most of their learning. Overall, this website is a great resource for all teachers, whether they have been in the field for years or are just beginning their careers.

George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2016, March 1). Student Engagement. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/student-engagement

Brian Sztabnik. “The 8 Minutes That Matter Most”. Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Web. 15 Feb 2016.

This blog posting emphasizes the importance of having a strong beginning and a strong ending to a lesson. The eight minutes that matter the most during lessons are the start of a lesson, which activates prior knowledge and creates anticipation, and the end of a lesson, which checks for understanding and comprehension. Developing a creative introduction to the topic stimulates student interest and encourages thinking. The blog offers many ways of engaging students at the beginning of a lesson. Some strategies include using student interests such as YouTube videos and making cross curricular connections. In ending a lesson, teachers can use technology, exit slips, or post-in notes to gain an understanding of what the students have learned. Teachers should also give a quick preview of the next lesson to spur interest and help students connect the different ideas within a larger context.

Gettinger, M., & Ball, C. (2007). Best practices in increasing academic engaged time. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 1043-1075). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

I have come across many great articles by researcher Maribeth Gettinger which relate to my inquiry question and this one is especially useful. Learning requires engagement and the greater the level of student engagement, the higher their achievement. The link between time and learning is a consistent finding in educational research. To heighten engagement among all learners, the authors discuss the importance for teachers to distribute questions evenly to a range of students and not allow the same group of students to answer questions every time. The article also discusses other strategies to promote active responding such as choral responding, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning groups (pairs, small groups, etc.). This article provides great ideas to engage learners and effectively uses research findings to stress the correlation between student engagement and academic achievement. In my teaching, I have used cooperative learning groups and found it to be a highly successful strategy. I think choral responding would be beneficial as most of my students are highly energetic and keen to answer questions. This way, not only will those students get a chance to answer questions but the quieter students will also have an equal opportunity to respond. Hopefully, it will give quieter students a chance to meaningfully contribute without feeling nervous or anxious.

Mohr, K.J., & Mohr, E.S. (2007). Extending English-Language Learners’ Classroom Interactions Using the Response Protocol. The Reading Teacher, 60(5), 440-450.

The main focus of this article is how to create a safe learning environment for English language learners, especially those who are reluctant to participate in class discussions and speak English in front of their peers. According to the article, it is important to create classrooms that foster critical thinking and ensure students are engaged in meaningful conversations. The article discusses a variety of activities and practices that engage ELL’s in academic conversations, with a focus on strategies that provide scaffolding. It is relevant for future teachers because regardless of whether or not they are working directly with ELL students, all of the strategies discussed in the article can be used in any classroom. They are strategies that support the development of students’ conceptual understanding and encourage active learning.

Morcom, V.A. & MacCallum J.A. (2011). Getting Personal About Values: Scaffolding Student Participation Towards an Inclusive Classroom Community. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16 (12), 1323-1334.

This article discusses how student participation and engagement is dependent on an inclusive school and classroom community. Through a large research project, the authors studied different ways for students to interact, and promoted student participation in classroom activities. The study was conscious about including individuals with intellectual disabilities. Scaffolding took place in various activities such as social circles and class meetings, in which students developed leadership skills based on inclusive values. As a result, students with and without disabilities were able to participate in the classroom while feeling respected and appreciated. Students were taught the importance of active listening, which is an important form of student engagement. Creating a classroom environment in which each student is involved and appreciated builds a sense of belonging and pride. As a result, students feel comfortable enough to share opinions and ideas with their peers.