The Top Tips
So, how can you build an environment that encourages active learning behaviour?
After lunch lessons are prime examples of when passive learning/ disengagement is rife. Students are placed in a warm classroom, with the teacher talking in a soft, monotone way, and a stomach full of stodgy lasagne! With the blood from their brains now aiding their digestive system, who would be able to stay fully engaged under these conditions? Let's face it - you chowed down on today's lasagne and are now feeling pretty tired as well. So here are 5 easy Top Tips to keep the engagement high on your lesson agenda...
Tip No. 1: Open a window
Absolutely DO NOT underestimate this top tip! Keeping the fresh air flowing and the oxygen levels high is key to students being able to think clearly and, more importantly, stay awake. Even on a cold day, crack those windows open to help your classroom's ventilation. If you want to see this in action for yourself, try closing the windows for the first part of your lesson and just as the head's start to drift on to the table tops, open the windows and see the difference in minutes. It will also help to keep you 'firing on all cylinders' too.
Tip No. 2: Exercise your way out of "potato moments"
You often get one, or two, keen beans that raise their hands so high (after every single question) that they are actually in danger of doing themselves accidental damage... whilst the rest of the class sit in varying degrees of potato-like state. Exercise and movement are key ways to get the brain active and breathe life back into those students who have adopted a very convincing blob-like shape in your classroom.
Obviously, we're not suggesting that you send your students for 5 laps of the running track before your plenary activity, but equally letting them stagnate for an entire hour isn't helpful either. It may sound silly when you're in the middle of teaching about Henry VIII's six wives, but don't be afraid to get them to move around. Many times I've asked my students to stand up and complete star jumps after a disappointing round of questions. I've also been known to take their chairs away for part of a lesson... I've seen colleagues ask whole classes to stand on one leg for listening tasks!
As well as waking students up, movement around the classroom can also be beneficial for the learning task itself - tasks such as classroom treasure hunts or silent debates are really effective strategies that combine movement and learning. To be honest, whether it wakes up their brain, or they just don't want the hassle of another 20 star jumps, movement (or threat there of!) definitely works for getting students more engaged in your lessons.
Tip No. 3. Don't let the time or day affect engagement
Every timetable has its 'sink' lessons. You know what I mean. Last period on a Wednesday... urgh... is a key one! The day of the week that is too far away from the last weekend and too far away from the next. But this is no excuse for lack of energy and enthusiasm from your students. Don't let them think this is a possibility for even a second. Every minute, every lesson, every day is the same opportunity for learning as another, and we need our students to accept this.
So how is this achieved? Well, students take their lead from you. If you walk into the lesson and start with: 'c'mon guys, I know it's last lesson, but let's just get through it, yeah?' then students will get the signal that they can do either very little, or potentially derail your lesson to get out of work. Changing your tone to be positive about the lesson (even if it is last lesson on a Wednesday!) and what your students will learn today is always the way to go.
Students, without a doubt, feed off your energy... so give them some energy to feed off. Stride into your lesson and say: 'I've been so looking forward to teaching you all day - this lesson we're going to ace the different types of rock!' Keep this up and soon you will have helped to install the culture you want with your classes. (I wish my Geography teacher had been more excited to see us... maybe I'd remember more types of rock... umm, sedimentary?)
Tip No. 4: Tap in to the "adrenaline factor"
It goes without saying that you need to know your students very well for this. You can alleviate the urge for your students to be lazy with a few well-placed shots of adrenaline to the system. Remember that people naturally seek out and respond to hierarchical constructs and the students in your classroom are no different. As the adult, you are the obvious leader and your students will sense this and be inclined to follow your instructions... or at least know they are supposed to follow your instructions.
When students are in lessons, they are often "put on the spot" and asked to do things they have never done before - and in front of their peers! Think about when you are asked to do things in front of your peers - it can be terrifying, right? If you know that there is going to be a feedback task at the end of a training session, do you not sit up, take more notice and complete the task...? Rather than talking about what you are doing at the weekend... as most of us do during long winded INSET days?
Simply put, you are being held accountable because you know there will be a moment when you will be either assessed on what you have done, or "put on the spot". Hence, the adrenaline factor sets in and you take the work more seriously... well so do your students. Always hold them accountable for tasks they should be completing properly. Tell them they will be feeding back at the end of the lesson, or there's a minimum number of questions they have to complete to reduce them wanting to slump back and watch the clock.
Tip No. 5: Embrace student led, not teacher led tasks.
Do you ever feel like most of the onus is on you in your lessons? Are you constantly working harder than your students? And are your students not retaining the information like you want them to? If so, then your default classroom practice has become too 'teacher-led' rather than 'student-led'.
There is always a time for you to be teacher-led... I mean, you have to actually explain to the kids what you are doing today and sometimes your passion for your subject can get the best of you. (I love a good monologue about my specialist subject as much as the next person!) But often our teacher-led behaviour can become toxic to student learning.
We often fall into the trap of talking too much, repeating ourselves, answering questions for students or elaborating for them, rather than trying to tease the information out. Often, we are so strapped for curriculum time and so concerned about the pace of the lesson, that we end up trying to 'fill the vessel' of our students' minds rather than teaching them to think for themselves and be resourceful. This is not only dull for the kids, but it's ineffective as a main teaching style.
So, to keep engagement and long term learning high, our default classroom setting needs to become predominantly student led. For a top example, check out our guest blog on 'Annotation Stations' which can be applied to multiple subjects.
So there you have it, 5 ways to build your Active Learning environment! For more useful ideas on avoiding teacher led and embracing student-led activities, check out our blogs on engagement.
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