Looking back to my time in elementary school, I was fairly involved and actively participated in my learning. I was strongly motivated by a desire to do well. I also really loved to read, which I think was the starting point for my educational journey. My motivation in younger grades definitely inspired my inquiry on how to increase participation. As I continue in my education, it is interesting to look at motivation and participation from a teacher perspective. Stephen, Cope, Oberski, and Shand examined engagement from both the teachers and the students’ perspective. One interesting finding from their work was how teachers “responses suggest more concern with evaluating the ways in which the children are carrying out the tasks or the intensity of their work than their connection with the substantive content” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, & Shand, 2008, p. 21-22). The teachers questioned in the study were “rely[ing] on body language to make relatively high level inferences about the nature of children’s participation in pedagogical activities” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, & Shand, 2008, p. 21). Looking back on my time in classrooms, that is how I have gaged a class’s involvement with an activity or lesson. Body language is a very accessible way to gage a classes participation with an activity.

Another interesting point from the research is how “teachers judged children to be engaged in learning when they were looking at, talking to or listening to the adult, [or] working on a task given to them by the adult” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, & Shand, 2008, p. 21). This is a very teacher-focused way of looking at student engagement. I wonder how this lens can be turned around to become more student or learning centred? Instead of focusing on whether or not the student is paying attention to “ME” – the “ME” being the teacher – maybe we should be asking, “Are the students focusing on what they need to be learning?” I feel that is a more inclusive approach to have when evaluating a class’s engagement and participation. Although teacher directed learning is an important part of teaching, perhaps measuring engagement another way could be more inclusive to learning.

Stephen, Cope, Oberski, and Shand’s research also highlights the importance of fun and enjoyment in a classroom. When reflecting on their own engagement, students gave “teachers a much less central place than the responses from the adults” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, and Shand, 2008, p. 23). They found that children were much more interested in activities that they perceived as play. In my observations I have seen math become a more engaged lesson through math games – the students are learning the concepts through a fun and different way. I am really starting to see the importance of play in a classroom, especially in primary grades. If you’re enjoying yourself, you become more involved – that goes for anyone, anywhere. As I move forward in my own educational journey, I am looking forward to learning how to create opportunities that allow students to explore choices and have some realm of freedom with their learning.

Source: Stephen C, Cope P, Oberski I & Shand P (2008) ‘They should try to find out what the children like’: Exploring Engagement in Learning, Scottish Educational Review, 40 (2), pp. 17-28.