Fostering active learning

Engaging students is vital when creating dynamic and effective learning environments.

Students who are actively involved in their own education develop a deeper understanding of the material while fostering their critical-thinking skills. 

In fact, actively engaging students helps them cultivate a passion for learning. According to Caroline Wylie, Principal Research Scientist at ETS®, the focus is “all about giving students opportunities to share their ideas and thinking, to work with partners to provide feedback, and to reflect on their own learning.”

Strategies for success

Using the following practical strategies, you will have a head start when promoting student engagement and enhancing positive classroom behaviors:   

1. Set Clear Learning Goals: For every lesson, communicate your aims. This gives students a clear understanding of what they will learn and why it matters. The goal? To create a sense of purpose, which motivates students and helps them stay focused, no matter where they are on their learning journeys.  
2. Incorporate Active Learning: Encourage participation through hands-on activities, discussions, group work and problem-solving tasks. Active learning makes the subject matter real — it allows students to connect to your lessons in personal and specific fashions. Along those lines... 
3. Make Learning Relevant: Connect your curriculum to real-world applications and student interests. If you can prove to students how content relates to their lives, they will find the overall learning experience more meaningful. In a SmartBrief /ETS® survey, “about 85% of respondents said that improving teachers’ proficiency in creating effective and evidence-based formative assessment is “important” or “very important.” 
4. Use Formative Assessments: Instead of overemphasizing final summative assessments, regularly test student understanding with formative techniques. Daily quizzes, class discussions, or short assignments offer ongoing benchmarks that help teachers better gauge student progress and then scaffold instructional adjustments. 
5. Supply Constructive Feedback: Timely feedback motivates students — it shows that you are continually invested in their work, especially when that feedback is both specific and constructive. 
6. Leverage Technology: Students are better equipped to face the classroom in whatever form it takes — in person, remote, or hybrid — when you thoughtfully integrate technology that bolsters student engagement. For instance, the PlanWise® tool, an award-winning Chrome™ Extension for Google Docs™ developed by ETS®, gives valuable formative assessment strategies and subject-specific resources during the learning process.   
7. Foster Collaboration: Whenever possible, assign activities that encourage students to work together. Collaboration promotes teamwork, communication skills and shared responsibility for vital learning outcomes. 
8. Create a Positive Environment: The classroom should always be a space where students feel safe, respected and valued, so encourage active learning to increase students’ sense of belonging.

Redefining classroom spaces

With these strategies, you can foster student engagement and maximize learning outcomes.

Furthermore, you will empower your students to become active participants in their individual learning growth and development so they can cultivate a lifelong love for learning. 

Want a head start creating effective classroom practices?