I hope that got your interest and maybe even had you thinking, "What does she mean by that?" And that my friends proves my point. Let me explain. When your students come into your classroom one of the best things you can do is to quickly engage them in the lesson you are preparing to teach. This is what I mean by the phrase "Instant Engagement". This strategy gets your students thinking about the lesson, creates talking points and encourages participation from everyone right from the start. Doesn't that sound amazing?!?! It truly is and it's simpler than you think.
Below you will find several ideas to create instant engagement that can be done either by having your students write on the board, answer verbally, discuss with a companion or in a small group, and in any other way you feel would be engaging for your class.
Write a question on the board and have everyone answer it.
Write a phrase on the board and have everyone share their opinions of what they think the phrase means.
Show a picture and ask the students to share something they noticed about it (What do they think is going on? What feelings come to mind? What stands out to them about the picture? etc.)
Write several words on the board and ask the students to tell you how they think these words relate to each other or what topic you might be discussing based on the words you have written.
Say a word(s) and have them say or write the first word that comes to mind.
I hope as you have read through the suggestions above that you have started to think about how you could incorporate this simple idea into your next lesson. Remember that as students share their thoughts with you, your response to their answers needs to be a positive one. You are asking for their opinions and thoughts so remember that what they share is not wrong but rather it is how they view things based on their experiences. If what they share isn't something you thought of you may choose to use one of the following phrases to help them know you value them and what they expressed:
I never thought about it that way before, what made you think of that?
Thank you for sharing that, I had never thought of it that way before.
That's interesting, how have you seen that to be true in your life?
I appreciate your sharing that with us.
I hadn't seen that in there before, thank you for sharing that insight.
Always, Always, Always thank your students for sharing their thoughts with you. Remember it is hard to share what is inside yourself with others so please honor them by always verbally appreciating their efforts to share. You've got this! Happy engaging!
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