Implement simple heuristics that increase classroom engagement

Implement Simple Heuristics to Increase Classroom Engagement

• As I previously mentioned, we don’t require much to enhance the overall disposition of students toward the teacher and the material being presented to them.
  • The only thing separating students from their studies and distractions, such as gadgets, is interest and an innate sense of curiosity—something an experienced teacher knows how to harness effectively.
• Sustaining high energy in the classroom is perhaps the most challenging heuristic, as it involves the orchestration of three complex mechanisms.
  • ! Physical activity, which goes beyond simple finger exercises to lift fatigue from writing, entails meaningful movement within the classroom. This could involve transitioning between tables, passing objects like a talking ball, or even activities that require students to stand and sit.
    • Research has demonstrated that similar regions of the brain are activated during both physical activity and the learning process.
    • Moreover, physical movement boosts oxygen levels and improves blood circulation, contributing to cognitive function.
  • ! The next point can be difficult for novice teachers: pacing the lesson.
    • A teacher must possess a deep understanding of the relationship between their instructions and the students’ responses.
    • When managing lesson pacing and planning activities, the teacher should avoid abrupt transitions between tasks, provide clear but not overly detailed instructions, and, above all, minimize interruptions.
    • The transition between the instructional phase and the action phase should be smooth and timely; otherwise, students can lose focus and become disengaged.
      • Students should be trained to respond instinctively to specific cues.
      • In my case, I use a clap or a sharp whistle to recapture attention.
    • A well-paced lesson ensures sustained attention from the students.
  • ! The third crucial factor is providing sufficient yet restrained information to stimulate curiosity. This concept pertains to missing information, which plays a pivotal role in capturing students’ attention.
    • Humans are naturally drawn to puzzles and riddles. We often engage in solving them even when they bear no direct relevance to our values or practical concerns.
    • These challenges tap into our sense of curiosity and anticipation, which some researchers refer to as “appetitive states”—states that promote mental engagement.
    • According to the theory of clozentropy, such states activate the brain’s attention centers.
      • Taylor, in 1953, developed a test to assess English proficiency that presents sentences with omitted information:
      • q Bill went to the ------- to buy some ------- to put on his cereal ------- they were out of stock.
      • The missing words here are: store, milk, and but.
        • Any student with a B1-2 English proficiency level can fill in these blanks effortlessly.
      • The root of this phenomenon lies in cybernetics theory:
        • The sentence activates a goal-seeking mechanism inherent in all humans. We are constantly striving to reconcile the gap between our expectations and actual outcomes.
        • This is a key element I utilize when teaching skimming techniques.
          • I instruct students to anticipate how the author thinks and then verify their predictions, which significantly enhances their engagement with the text and deepens their comprehension.
        • Missing information is notoriously difficult for humans to overlook.
  • ! Just as we are captivated by puzzles, we also value the freedom of choice, which ties into the self-I concept and manifests in our ability to make decisions that resonate with us personally.
    • This principle is a cornerstone of game design, where it is used to prolong player engagement.
    • The ability to make decisions—whether well-informed or not—is a key aspect of effective design.
      • This applies equally to the design of a lesson or a game.
    • The decisions individuals make, whether in games or in the classroom, are guided by two components of the self-I concept:
      • Personal and unique background knowledge, including:
        • Memories.
        • Experiences.
        • Desires.
        • Pleasures.
        • Pains.
      • And a hierarchy of goals.
        • Of which an individual is only partially aware.
        • These goals develop incrementally over the years.
      • Together, these factors form a person’s identity.
        • They are the stories we tell ourselves, deeply embedded in our cognition and even in our DNA.
  • ! Two additional strategies that teachers can employ to engage students are mild pressure and subtle controversy.
    • Mild pressure can take the form of a timer on the screen or Socratic questioning.
      • Socratic questioning encourages deeper thinking and exploration.
      • Students often feel anxious about being called on by the teacher, which can have the positive effect of heightening their attention.
      • One last technique, which I seldom use due to my impatience, is allowing sufficient wait time for an answer. The average wait time between posing a question and receiving an answer should be about 3 seconds.
    • Controversy, on the other hand, has a more nuanced purpose: to provoke divergent thinking around an opinion or issue.
      • Controversy challenges students to resolve discrepancies and engage in discussion. This can evolve into a debate or even begin as one.

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