Marzano| The Highly Engaged Classroom

This week I want to spotlight Dr. Marzano and his tips for keeping a highly engaged classroom. In order for teachers to have a highly engaged classroom we first must make our students feel accepted, welcomed and supported in the classroom and by the teacher. All children want to fit in and as they progress through their school years they are presented with a lot of challenges, so we as teachers need to do our part to make sure that our classrooms are a safe place for our students. Next, when we are creating our lessons and learning activities that we are incorporating our students interest (which we should know because we should be developing a strong relationship with all our students) this way they are more motivated to learn. While we are teaching these lessons and learning activities we need to be asking effective questions, this will help our students be more attentive because a question presents missing information. We should really think about the questions we are asking– are they questions that hold purpose? Do these questions cause our students to really think critically? What is our goal? In the context of the classroom, questions can generate mild pressure that helps stimulate attention (pp. 11–12). We need to also think about how we can give our students choice in their learning when we are creating our lessons and learning activities. If we provide our students with the sense that they have a say in their learning they will be more motivated to learn and stay engaged. No child wants to be told that they have to do something, but if we find a way to give them the choice to do a task that still reaches our end goal then we will have a more engaged and motivated learner. On the subject of including our students, we need to also include our students in the creation of our classroom expectations. It is important that we have these because children need structure. But, by including the students in the making of the expectations we are not just playing dictator, we have more of a democracy (students have a say). And of course we need to be a positive presence for our students in the classroom. We as the teacher need to hold an positive attitude in all situations. The students will possess the attitude that their teacher models, so it is important we are maintaining a positive one. relationships students have with the teacher have a profound effect on their perceptions of being welcomed, accepted, and supported, which helps establish an affective tone that promotes student encouragement (pp. 5–7). We also need to remember that not all of our students will learn as quickly as others. In saying this we need to make sure our pacing is balanced. By doing this we will keep ALL students engaged while keeping smooth transitions. Another point Marzano made was that when we are asking our students questions that require a response we need to give them appropriate wait time. Research suggests giving students 5-7 seconds before asking a student to share. It is also suggested that teachers develop a signal system with their students. This will help keep class flowing. It is important to note that when hand signals are used, questions must employ a selected-response format, such as multiple choice or true/false (pp.74). Saving the best for last Marzano talks about self-efficacy. Our students may be interested in what is being taught, motivated to learn the material and believe it to be important, but if the task seems to be too challenging to them they will not fully engage. It is important that we are creating tasks that are appropriate for our students (low-floor, high-ceiling) this way they will not be so quick to believe they can not accomplish what is being asked of them. Self-efficacy is quite possibly the most important factor affecting engagement (pp. 117, 128–129).

Sources

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D., & Heflebower, T. (2013). The highly engaged classroom. United States: Marzano Resources.