Defining and Achieving Student Engagement in the Classroom

What if we paused on the concept of driving student engagement to re-explore how we determine and define student engagement? While educators must navigate shorter attention spans, trending dance challenges and everything in between, the same generation of students with screens at their fingertips can thrive when they are met with the opportunity to unlock their creative potential. 

Tailored to meet students where they are, successful engagement strategies leverage student curiosity to promote stronger academic outcomes. Read on to discover how to re-explore meaningful student engagement and adopt best practices along the way.

Defining True Student Engagement

Guiding students to draw important connections as they identify real-world challenges can profoundly shape educational experiences and ignite those unforgettable light bulb moments. As educators apply more student-focused approaches to cultivating academic success, true engagement can be looked at through three key areas. 

Behavioral engagement is often associated with participation, paying attention and following rules. Cognitive engagement refers to a student’s psychological commitment to their own learning. Emotional engagement is how a student feels about their learning experiences, influencing whether or not they have a desire to continue learning. 

Looking at these general buckets can be helpful in understanding the foundations of a student’s experience in any classroom. However, they can fall short of defining the sustained enthusiasm and deep connections educators strive to inspire and observe each day. With this in mind, here is how the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® gauges student engagement:

Students are truly engaged when they are fully invested in their own learning to make connections, pursue their creative ideas, maintain a motivation to pursue solutions and practice autonomous problem solving. 

Why Does Student Engagement Matter?

Engagement is more than a buzzword or abstract benchmark – it has a remarkable impact on student outcomes. Beyond the achievements of steady attendance and standard participation in classroom discussions or activities, engagement ensures students develop an authentic desire to learn and grow. Among many goals, student engagement sparks motivation and supports the development of essential skills. This ripple effect continues as students build confidence, demonstrate creative thinking and make positive associations with learning. 

Some of the key benefits of student engagement include:

• Deeper understanding and greater retention of concepts
• Improved academic outcomes, including better grades and attendance 
• Greater motivation and persistence
• A healthier, more positive school environment
• Long-term effects including a lifelong love of learning

How can schools lead students to enjoy all these benefits? From hands-on learning to opportunities for teamwork, there are several proven pathways to achieving true engagement.

 

Best Practices for Student Engagement 

To spark and sustain greater student engagement in any subject, educators can find helpful strategies in an innovative pedagogy: invention education. These engagement-sparking strategies include: 

• Hands-on, active learning experiences that keep students energized and excited to make progress
   
• Creative problem-solving exercises that build critical thinking and persistence while leading students to see failures as opportunities for learning
   
• Project-based learning that invites students to develop their own solution to real-world problems, empowering them to make a positive impact on the world
   
• Collaborative challenges that give students the chance to practice communication and teamwork
   
• Student-led exploration that encourages learners to follow their curiosity and expand their interests
   
• Multidisciplinary learning that leads students to make connections and find appealing entry points for exploring new concepts
   
• The introduction of innovative role models in whom students can see themselves reflected, inspiring their confidence and helping them realize their own potential

Leveraging children’s natural inclination to create, education programs from the National Inventors Hall of Fame guide students through the act of hands-on invention to develop an innovative mindset and build essential skills for their future. Across the country, educators who lead the Hall of Fame’s programs, including Camp Invention^® and Invention Project^®, have seen firsthand that encouraging students to trust their instincts and problem-solving abilities inspires true engagement as they bring their ideas to fruition. 

As teachers incorporate innovative approaches to learning, true student engagement transforms day-to-day lessons into an enthusiastic exploration of subjects that hold relevance to students’ lives. From cross-curricular experiences to hands-on projects that promote active learning, creating flexible learning paths that enable self-led discovery leads curious children to become engaged, innovative thinkers.

Find More Teaching Strategies 

To find more teaching strategies that can broaden your students’ horizons and bring true engagement into the classroom, continue exploring our blog and sign up for monthly emails to discover the latest insights and best practices for promoting student success.