Engagement

Skis, transmissions, lovers, and learners...

Of all the possible conversations to be had under the subject of pedagogy, I have decided that the place to begin is with engagement. While a person may be in the midst of all sorts of work taking place around them, they will benefit when they themselves become engaged. Continuing to present a lesson to an inactive audience is like a motor idling unproductively because the transmission hasn't been engaged.

In the “traditional” school setting, I feel that the missing link to engagement is the feeling realm. Concepts are presented intellectually – rote. Learners need reasons to care. We care about things we can relate to. If a lesson’s relevance is unclear, is it the teacher’s responsibility to clarify it?

What are measures of engagement in the classroom? Notably, the behaviors outside of the classroom are strong indicators. A student continuing to work with an idea outside of the period, outside of the four walls, is an engaged student!