We have been working hard this week. A lot of testing and data collection. I want to share an engagement meter I use in my classroom. I think the importance in having one is in the power of asking the students to keep track of their thinking.
I introduced the engagement meter by stating that this is NOT a meter of behavior. They are all well behaved and look like they are doing their best. Instead, this meter is to track where their thinking was focused during the lesson.
- Engaged..... Students are learning for themselves. They are curious, or interested in what we are learning.
- Compliant.... Students are learning because it is expected. Grades and outcomes are important to them, but it may not have real meaning to them.
- Retreat.... Students were functioning, but not learning. Their minds may have wandered or they just were not interested in the learning.
I use popsicle sticks with their names on them during the lesson to ensure I call on all students with questions or comments. When I call their name, I give them their popsicle stick when they answer.
At the end of the lesson, they put their stick in the labeled cup.
Easy visual to gage how engaged they were in the lesson.
Again.... the power of doing this is NOT just in the outcome data. A paradigm shift occurs in ASKING the question. How engaged are you? I tell them I am going to ask at the end of the lesson, and I notice how much more vested they are in the process.
