How to promote active student engagement in the classroom
"When the student works harder than the teacher in the classroom, that's usually a good thing." —Ron Canuel
All teachers find it gratifying when their students are interested, focused and engaged in the subjects covered in class. But creating a learning environment that motivates and stimulates students to participate in class is a challenge.
There are many ways to encourage students to be more active and involved. Here are just a few of them.
Why is active student participation important?
There are many benefits to having engaged students in the classroom. Educational research shows that students' active involvement in learning activities fosters personal development, helps overcome shyness, improves classroom dynamics and boosts self-confidence and sense of self-efficacy.
A teaching environment that is pleasant for the teacher and motivating for the student becomes conducive to lasting, reliable learning.
10 effective strategies for increasing student participation in the classroom
Here are some strategies and ideas that teachers can incorporate into the classroom to stimulate their students' active participation and involve them in the learning process.
1 - Organize learning games
Everyone loves to play, whether in kindergarten, primary or secondary school. The playful nature of games is a recognized way of stimulating students' thinking and getting them interested in a variety of subjects.
Numerous activities can be incorporated to generate this enthusiasm and promote learning. Here are our suggestions:
Riddles
Escape games
Academic puzzles
Role-playing games
Games involving physical activity
Scientific toys, such as plant test tubes or microscopes
Immersive platforms that challenge thinking in different ways
2 - Relate content to students' reality
Students feel more involved when they can relate topics and activities to their own reality. If their attention span is short or they don't seem to understand what's being presented, real-life examples can be used.
In this way, they perceive greater relevance and can more easily relate what they are learning to their everyday experiences. Thus learning becomes more meaningful in the student's mind.
3 - Use technology as a judicious lever for learning
With pedagogical intentions clearly established upstream, teachers can use a wide variety of technological supports (tablets, cellphones, computers, etc.) to encourage students' active engagement.
Above all, it's important that the use of digital tools be part of meaningful, engaging and well-structured learning activities; in this way, technology acts as a lever for learning rather than a distraction.
4 - Offer students choices
When students are actively involved in decision-making, they feel valued and motivated. Whatever their age, they have questions and ideas that can help improve the learning activity and make it more enjoyable. By giving them a choice of activities, we can expect higher levels of active participation.
5 - Incorporate a touch of mystery into your course
A good idea to pique students' curiosity is to create suspense before revealing any content. For example, you can give students clues about the next activity and predict how fun it will be, without explaining the content. Encouraging them to ask questions ahead of the activity also helps create greater engagement.
This approach has the power to create a relaxed classroom atmosphere and encourage more active student participation.
6 - Communicate frequently with the student's family
It's important to share the teaching strategies you use in class with the student's family. This can help them better support the student at home, whether in preparing activities and homework, or in providing supportive feedback.
This sharing also enables parents to better understand their children's activities in class and reinforce learning at home. It also helps students assume greater responsibility, stay motivated and put in the effort needed to learn.
7 - Use problem-based learning
Problem-based learning is a student-centered teaching pedagogy. Students become familiar with a topic and usually work in groups to solve a defined problem where, often, there is no single correct answer.
This strategy encourages students to conduct research, integrate theory and practice and apply their knowledge and skills to develop a viable solution to a defined problem.
8 - Build an indoor hydroponic garden
A hydroponic garden is an excellent tool for actively engaging students in a project that connects them to nature while acquiring new knowledge and skills. What can children learn? Some examples:
The life cycle of plants: From germination, sowing and vegetative growth to harvest, they can trace the complete life cycle of the plant.
Plant needs: Hydroponic plants thrive on an adequate supply of nutrients, water and light. Students discover that soil is not always essential for plant growth. They also gain a better understanding of the plant growth process.
Depending on the objective of the hydroponic garden project and the subject being taught, children can learn a host of things: nutrition, environmental management, agronomy and science, healthy habits and personal care, teamwork, entrepreneurship and more.
Food is no longer seen as originating at the local grocery store; students grow their own vegetables and better understand the steps and processes before food reaches their plates.
The integration of a hydroponic garden is a stimulating project that fosters learning in a responsible and fun way, while enabling the acquisition of essential life skills. Urban agriculture in schools is an initiator of a wide variety of projects and makes a concrete contribution to environmental education, positively and proactively addressing students' concerns about the environment and sustainable development.