What Schools Get Wrong About Engagement
Superintendent of Schools, Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65, suggests that most of what we call "student engagement" in schools isn’t actually engagement at all.
Most of what we call "student engagement" in schools isn’t actually engagement at all. It’s compliance: neat tables, quiet voices, eyes on the speaker.
A well-behaved classroom is easy to admire—and easier to manage—but it doesn’t always mean learning is happening. The author reflects on their own experience, stating that they followed directions, raised their hand, and rarely got into trouble, but in hindsight, they weren’t always engaged.
The author notes that they loved it when the rules were clear-cut, the expectations were clearly stated, and they knew exactly how to succeed, but this often happened outside of the classroom. As an adult, the author has always been an engaged learner, inspired by their mom, a voracious reader, who would start conversations at the dinner table with discussions about articles she had read.
Author's summary: Rethinking student engagement in schools.