What Student Engagement Looks Like

 Student engagement during remote learning is a thing. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Teachers know it when we see it and we can tell when it’s not there, but it can be a challenge to communicate that idea to some students.

Engagement looks like getting your work done, asking questions about the work or what we’re learning. It looks like students participating in class, commenting in the chat, or turning their cameras on (even if just to say hello). Engagement means thinking about the work we are doing and considering how this might apply to you, your daily life and your future.

When we’re together in a classroom, engagement is easy to spot and probably easier for you to give. We are finding that learning from home has lots and lots of distractions - brothers and sisters, gaming systems, phones, extra nap time, handy snacks and lots of other things. 

Maybe it’s easier to describe what engagement does not look like…

• It’s not joining a zoom class, and not participating, not responding to messages in the chat or on your device, or not replying to verbal call-outs in the zoom class. 

• It does not look like playing PS4 or Xbox during school hours. 

• Engagement is not taking naps or letting yourself fall asleep and missing classes or independent work time. (Hint: Staying up all night, will make it harder to stay awake during school hours)  

• Being engaged does not mean spending lots of time in your phone when you should be paying attention in class or doing your work.

• For sure, student engagement is not just vegging out and letting time slip away. 

Not feeling like you can engage might come from not feeling motivated. If you feel stuck, like you’re so far behind that you’ll never catch up, talk to your teachers. Go to office hours, ask to meet with teachers privately. 

I have been seeing more engagement by more students, but there are still a large number of 7th and 8th graders who are not engaged in learning. 

Your future’s coming whether you’re ready or not. If you engage a little now, you can save yourself a whole lot of headaches later. 

Remember, don’t be a Jarrod….