Wrap It Up

Let's Wrap this Up!

Summary

Student participation and student engagement are not synonymous. Students may answer questions in class or complete in class activities, but that does not necessarily mean they are engaged. Dannels referred to engagement as a student's willingness to participate and learn. After teaching for a semester, I also argue engagement refers to a student's willingness to take action in her or his own learning process. For me, engaged students are not only invested in the content, but they demonstrate agency and critical thinking skills. In addition, Dannels argues instructors are responsible for creating an engaging climate. Dannels suggests instructors can use immediacy, humor, and technology to encourage engagement.

Speaking of humor, humor is hard. Attempting to instill humor in the classroom actually makes you a little vulnerable. I am putting myself out there when I try to share my sense of humor and engage my class. Its embarrassing when they stare at my blankly. Sometimes you just need to say to heck will it and be authentic to your own humor style. #freshsparklingappropriatehumor

Students are also responsible for their own engagement. According to hooks and Freire, students must have agency in their own learning process. This is in contrast to what Freire identifies as the banking model. This model situates students as passive receivers of knowledge and the instructor as the all-knowing, unquestionable expert. Unfortunately, this is one of the most common educational models. This proved to be a major obstacle for my student engagement this semester as my students often resisted my attempts to dispel the banking model. I even had some students straight up view my attempts to involve them in their own learning processes as teacher misbehaviors. This was very frustrating to me as I really wanted my students be engaged in the material and engage in critical thinking.

Despite my frustration, I needed to remember to not be critical of my students. Fassett and Warren warn against instructors criticizing each other and their students. Instructors need to approach problematic student views with intention to inform, not shut down. Instructors who tell students they are wrong with no explanation will ultimately silence and disengage the student from the material.

Take Away

Both students and instructors are responsible for engagement. Instructors are responsible for creating conducive and engaging environments. Students are responsible for taking agency in their own learning and thinking critically.

How to Use in the Future

Learn your students names, tell stupid jokes, don't be the bankers from Marry Poppins, don't be a dick when your students are wrong, and finally, know you can only do so much. We can't know what all is going on in our students lives. We need to make our class as engagement friendly as possible and then trust them to be gosh danged adults and take responsibility for their education.

#reengage #bye