DeePENN Student Engagement: Innovative Practices for Active Learning

Creating an engaging learning environment is critical to student success and can be achieved? through thoughtful, innovative practices that emphasize active learning. Everyone uses the?term but many really and truly understand that engagement is the connector for all of the most ?important and most effective pedagogical practices. Engagement as defined in the Danielson Framework for Teaching (3C) Engagement in Learning, is the centerpiece of the framework for teaching; all other components contribute to it. "When students are engaged in learning, they are not merely “busy,” nor are they only “on task.” Rather, they are intellectually active in learning important and challenging content. The critical distinction between a classroom in which students are compliant and busy and one in which they are engaged is that in the latter students are developing their understanding through what they do." ~ Charlotte Danielson

Student engagement is more than just participation; it’s the intersection of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive investment in the ?learning process. When students are fully and authentically engaged, they think critically,? internalize learning concepts, connect new information to prior knowledge, and apply their ?learning to real-world situations. During the dozens, if not hundreds of school quality reviews or principal performance observations, I tend to hone in on student engagement as the focal point for each classroom visit. Let’s explore the types of engagement and strategies that lead to deeper learning and retention in our K-12 classrooms.??

Understanding the Three Types of Student Engagement?

1. Behavioral Engagement: This involves students’ active participation in academic tasks,? classroom activities, and following classroom rules. While behavioral engagement is ?foundational, it only scratches the surface. For authentic engagement, students need to move ?beyond compliance and show intrinsic interest. ?

2. Emotional Engagement: This type of engagement is driven by the students' feelings about? their learning environment, relationships with peers and teachers, and overall attitudes toward ?learning. Positive emotions such as curiosity, joy, and excitement contribute to a learning ?environment where students feel valued, safe, and motivated.??

3. Cognitive Engagement: Cognitive engagement goes deeper by involving students in? meaningful thinking processes that require them to apply critical and creative thought.? Students demonstrate cognitive engagement when they tackle challenging content, make? connections across concepts, and use strategies to overcome learning obstacles. ?

The Key to Authentic Student Engagement ?

Authentic engagement requires a balanced combination of these three types. It’s not enough? for students to appear engaged on the surface; they need to be emotionally invested and? cognitively stimulated by the content. Teachers play a critical role in this part of the teaching? and learning process especially in the classroom. Authentic engagement means students are ?not only completing tasks but are also deeply invested in their own learning. To cultivate this, ?teachers should consider:

- Rigor and Relevance: Connect learning to students’ lives, interests, ?and future goals. (Check out the work of NYS Dr. Bill Daggett and the Rigor and Relevance Framework)

- Choice and Autonomy: Provide opportunities for students to have a say in their? learning, from selecting topics to choosing how to demonstrate understanding.

- Variety of ?Strategies: Use a blend of instructional techniques—such as collaborative projects, inquiry based learning, student-led teaching, and problem-solving activities—that foster exploration? and critical thinking.?

The Role of Formative Assessment and Questioning in Engagement?

Those of you who know me and know me well, what would one of my blog posts be if I didn’t mention formative assessment strategies. I am such a fan of Dr. Rick Stiggins and his work. ?Formative assessment and high-quality questioning are essential tools for fostering? engagement. As in each blog, I like to give my Dr. Wilson’s Words of Wisdom. For this article, I would like to share, ?“Whoever is doing the talking is doing the thinking.” Many of my principals and teachers quote ?me to this day because it is one of my favorite quotes. To truly deepen learning, students need? to articulate their ideas, ask questions, engage in discourse, and engage in meaningful dialogue ?with peers and teachers.??

Here’s how:??

- Formative Assessment: Through regular and constant daily checks for understanding (CFUs)— such as exit tickets, think-pair-share activities, student observations, and reflective journals— teachers gain insights into students’ cognitive engagement. These assessments guide? instructional adjustments to meet students where they are. The collection, memorialization and? of course utilization of formative assessment is critical in this process too. Students should? assist in keeping and maintaining their own data. Educators, let us not keep their data a secret to them.?Using the data for small group instruction to enrich or remediate is critical. Yes, it takes a lot of energy and effort but so worthwhile. Thank me later!

- Effective Questioning: Open-ended and thought-provoking questions push students to think ?beyond rote recall. When students are prompted to analyze, evaluate, and create, they are? actively involved in the learning process. Techniques like Socratic questioning or Bloom’s? Taxonomy help teachers scaffold questions from surface to deep learning.?

- Discussion-Based Learning: Encourage students to take the lead in discussions by sharing their? interpretations and defending their reasoning. When facilitated well, discussions promote ?cognitive engagement and deeper understanding.?The teachers do not always need to hold the conversations, gradually release to the students and you will be presently surprised even as young as kindergarten. Give them the tools and students will rise to any occasion.

Teaching Strategies for Active Learning?

Innovative classrooms use a blend of teaching strategies that shift the focus from teacher-led? instruction to student-driven exploration. This approach, often referred to as the Gradual Release of Responsibility (Frey and Fisher) ensures that learning is scaffolded and students are supported ?as they develop from surface-level understanding to deep and transferable knowledge. Let the ?data dictate which style you use. If all students need it then whole group may be needed in? certain instances. Remember to check the data because not everyone needs remediation, don’t ?forget enrichment for those who need it. And not just busy work, extra word problems, or reading a book. ?

1. Direct, Explicit Instruction: During the initial stages of learning, teachers need to provide clear ?explanations and models. Explicit instruction helps lay a strong foundation of knowledge.? However, relying solely on direct teaching can limit engagement if students are not given the? opportunity to actively process and apply what they are learning.??

2. Facilitation vs. Coaching: As students begin to grasp new concepts, teachers should shift to a? more facilitative role, using questioning, prompting, and feedback to guide students toward independent thinking. This phase is crucial for moving from surface to deep learning, as ?students begin to apply and connect ideas.??

3. Gradual Release and Independent Practice: Once students have a solid understanding, they ?should be given more responsibility to explore concepts independently or collaboratively.? Activities such as project-based learning, simulations, and case studies encourage students to? transfer their knowledge to new situations.?

From Surface to Deep to Transfer Learning ?

Dr. Michael McDowell (Leveled Success Criteria) did some work over the past two years in my former district and it really catapulted how lessons were designed, project based learning and deepening student engagement across many schools. Quite a few principals worked in inquiry groups utilizing his model and it yielded very positive results. This model helped teachers fine-tune how they taught - moving from surface to deep to transfer learning?(Hattie & Donoghue, 2016) highlights the importance of designing learning experiences that build progressively. ?

- Surface Learning: Initial learning focuses on acquiring basic facts, concepts, and skills. Direct? instruction and guided practice are ideal for this stage.??

- Deep Learning: This stage involves making connections between ideas, using inquiry-based ?approaches, and applying learning to solve problems. Deep learning is fostered through ?discussions, debates, and analytical tasks. ?

- Transfer Learning: Here, students apply what they’ve learned to new and unfamiliar contexts. ?When students are challenged to transfer their knowledge, it indicates that they have? internalized and mastered the content. Teaching should never just live in any one of those ?areas.??

Research Supporting Active Engagement?

Dr. John Hattie’s Visible Learning - his meta-research study on visible learning underscores that effective engagement involves?activating students as the main drivers of their own learning. High-impact strategies such as?feedback, questioning, and reciprocal teaching show an effect size of over 0.70—indicating? substantial influence on student achievement (Hattie, 2012). Similarly, Marzano (2017) found? that using instructional strategies that emphasize cognitive engagement leads to higher ?retention and deeper understanding. ?

My Final Thoughts

Active student participation leads to lasting learning engagement and is not a one-size-fits-all? concept. To maximize learning, teachers need to create a dynamic environment where students? are not just passive recipients of information but active participants. I am suggesting that, ?whoever is doing the talking is doing the thinking. The brain is more active when required to ?formulate speech and to make meaning rather than just passive listening. This means crafting ?learning experiences where students are consistently given opportunities to voice their ?thoughts, challenge ideas, and engage in meaningful dialogue. If teachers do all of the talking? they become mentally and often times physically drained by the end of the lesson. By?strategically blending direct instruction, facilitation, coaching, reflection, formative assessment? strategies and independent learning, teachers can ensure that students not only retain?information but also become confident, capable learners who can transfer their skills and?knowledge to the world beyond the classroom. Students will remain engaged and not lose focus.??

For more information on implementing these strategies or to discuss personalized approaches? for your school community, feel free to reach out to me. If educators really focused on? deepening their understanding of the multifaceted aspects of student engagement, there? would be greater student progress and even higher performance. Visit?deepennconsultingllc.godaddysites.com