Three students. The first student is looking straight at the teacher and nodding. The second is doodling swirls with a purple marker in her notebook. The third sits with a black hoody in the back of the room staring out the window. Which one is “engaged” in the lesson?

The English word “engaged” originates from the French verb “engager” meaning to be a socially or politically active citizen. This use of the word became popular prior to WWII when artists and intellectuals used their platforms to express their political views. Later in the 1940’s the word meant a person who was passionate and committed to a cause (Merriam Webster online dictionary).

In the same vein, we hope that our students are engaged in the lesson with passion and committed to learning. In reality, our students are not always filled with passion about our lessons, nor do they have the inner drive to be committed learners all of the time. While students have some responsibility to be engaged in their own learning, likewise, teachers have some responsibility to promote engagement

At LCC International University this week, faculty met to discuss classroom engagement. Our faculty from 6 different countries want to promote active classroom engagement across the university and within our 7 departments with students from over 50 different countries. It’s complicated.

The faculty leaders presented a laundry list of ways that teachers can promote student engagement. I will offer several ideas here as starting points from the perspective of university instructors. Perhaps you already engage your students in these ways; perhaps you will find one nugget, one new idea for your classroom.

• Begin by greeting and welcoming students to the class and thank them for being there

• Locate the day and lesson within the semester and curriculum

• Demonstrate throughout your interest in the subject(s)

• Have “interesting” slides (photos, political cartoons, period art, etc.)

• Move around the space physically to demonstrate actively listening to students

• Use student comments or questions to build and guide the conversation

• Follow up their initial comments with “why do you think/say that?” or “say more…”

• Affirm and teach logical thinking and metacognition, learning about learning.

• Have a good time, use a sense of humor to laugh at yourself and with the students

• Explain and demonstrate respect and appreciation for the textbook

• Close by projecting forward to the next lesson giving a purpose for the homework

• Dismiss the students with encouragement and good wishes for them

• Be available and chat with students who linger

Author: Robin Gingerich, Ph.D., MA TESOL Program Director at LCC International University.