Student engagement activities are activities geared towards fostering an increased level of student engagement. Before diving into what student engagement is, it is worth having in mind that these activities are an essential aspect of effective teaching practices.
Not only do they increase student motivation and boost their information retention capacity, they also lead to improved excellence in both academic and non academic areas.
In this article, we explore the various types of student engagement activities and best practices for implementing them in the classroom. But first here’s a quick primer on student engagement.
What is Student Engagement?
Student engagement activities help improve student engagement. But what exactly is student engagement? Well, student engagement can be defined as a concept that encompasses the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects of learning. It is a reflection of how all of these aspects influence a student’s optimism, attention, motivation and investment in what they are being taught.
Student engagement involves students actively participating in the learning process, feeling invested in their education, and being motivated to learn.
Student engagement activities aim to foster a positive learning environment where students are motivated, interested, and invested in their education.
Importance of Student Engagement Activities
Student engagement activities are crucial for a number of reasons. Below are just a few of them.
Creating a positive learning environment - Student engagement activities foster a positive environment that gives students a higher chance of success.
Improved Focus - Engaging activities can help students stay focused. Of course, a focused student has a greater chance of retaining information better than a disengaged one.
Critical Thinking - As we’ll see below, student engagement activities often incorporate a lot of stimulating tasks aimed at developing critical thinking skills. These skills end up serving the students not only in their educational pursuits but in other areas of life as well
Motivation - Students who are engaged in their learning are more likely to feel motivated and invested in their education, leading to improved academic performance.
Types of Student Engagement Activities
There are various types of student engagement activities that educators can use in the classroom. Below are some of the most prominent examples that have been known to yield a lot of positive results:
Games
Educational games are one of the most popular student engagement activities, and one of the most effective. They are effective because they already possess an intrinsic characteristic that an educator would love to harness - engagement.
It is simply easier for humans to engage with a game thanks to the implied entertainment that most of us associate with games. As such, when channeled towards an educational outlet, games can be an effective way to engage students in the learning process.
Among other things, games can be used to reinforce concepts or introduce new information in a fun and interactive way.
Debates
Debates are another option when it comes to facilitating student engagement. Debates are known to incite a strong sense of involvement not just in those participating in the debate, but also in those who happen to be watching.
Naturally, thanks to their performative nature, students are more likely to eliminate distraction and focus more when debates are going on.
Consequently, it can then serve as an engaging way to encourage critical thinking and improve communication skills. Students can be divided into groups and assigned a topic to research and debate.
Role-playing
Role-playing activities can be used to teach social and emotional skills or to reinforce content knowledge. Again, thanks to its intrinsic entertainment and performative nature, role playing automatically grabs students attention and makes them involved in what is being enacted.
For example, students can role-play historical events or act out different characters from a story. Because it is a performance, the students get in tune with it, become more involved, and are able to take away more information than they would have if it were only taught to them passively.
Projects
Another critical student engagement activity, projects allow students to take ownership of their learning and apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios. Thanks to its highly practical nature, it is hard to get distracted or disengaged when engaging in a project.
Of course, projects can be collaborative or individual. Collaborative projects can foster a sense of teamwork and cooperation between students, while personal projects fosters confidence and problem-solving. Projects can involve research, experimentation, or creative expressions.
Presentations
Ironically, the best way to internalize what you’ve learnt, is to find a way to express it. Presentations are effective in facilitating student engagement because they are the perfect way for students to not just internalize what they’ve learnt, they also put it in their own terms.
Through presentations, students get to develop strong communication and public speaking skills. Depending on the nature of the project, students can present on a variety of topics, from current events to research projects.
Response Cards
Lastly, response cards can be great tools for student engagement. By preparing response cards pertaining to the subject being taught, students can actively participate in the lesson by raising up appropriate responses pertinent to the questions.
The response cards could include yes or no answers, or a category of options, for example emotional responses that characters in a story might have.
Each of the types of student engagement activities highlighted above has its own unique benefits for students and can be used in different contexts to enhance the learning experience.
Best Practices for Implementing Student Engagement Activities
While incorporating student engagement activities in the classroom can be effective, there are several best practices that educators should follow to ensure that the activities are meaningful and effective. Here are a few examples:
Align Activities with Learning Objectives
Teachers would do well to ensure that the activities they choose are in alignment with the learning objectives. That is, student engagement activities should be selected based on the learning objectives of the lesson or unit.
The activities should be directly relevant to the material being taught and reinforce key concepts.
Clear Instructions
Teachers must always make sure that the instructions they provide regarding critical aspects of the activities are as clear and direct as possible.
Without clear instructions, student engagement activities are often ineffective. Because unless a student understands the purpose of the activity, they can’t really do anything with them.
Positive Classroom Environment
A positive classroom environment is essential for student engagement. Teachers should create a positive environment in terms of physical and psychological viewpoints.
A psychologically positive classroom environment is safe and welcoming. Here, students feel comfortable asking questions, taking risks, and engaging in discussions.
A physically positive classroom environment is clean, noiseless, has adequate lighting and a conducive, comfortable layout.
Feedback
Incorporating feedback into student engagement activities is a must. Without it, much progress can be lost. Feedbacks help students understand how they are progressing and provide opportunities for improvement. They can be provided by teachers or peers. Above all else, feedback on student engagement activities should be constructive and specific.
Summary & Final Thoughts
Student engagement activities are an essential component of effective teaching practices. The best engagement activities promote active learning, critical thinking, and positive classroom environments.
For this reason, it is imperative that educators prioritize student engagement activities in their teaching practices and follow best practices to ensure that the activities are meaningful and effective.
Above we have highlighted some of the best activities along with essential tips to ensure that their implementations are optimized for success.
