It seems that this week has focused on videos that provided top ten lists, so I went with it again.
"10 Rules of Student Engagement" is part of the No Teacher Left Behind training series delivered and developed by Bryan Fiese.
He said (but didn't cite the research...I'd like to see the study) that a TV program geared towards this lost generation (who have grown with technology) will have 95 flips or transitions pop up in one minute to maintain their interest. He used the all too common "edutainment" phrase that many believe is required of teachers today.
As always, I will just recap a few of the highlights and you can decide if you'd like to watch the rest. Two of the "rules" for engagement that I felt were right on par where:
- SMILE at the door: If you create a positive environment for kids, it will make a difference. This is a great point. I was impressed with a student teacher I had a few years ago who was SOOOO good at remembering student names. He would greet them (and I had 140 of them!) at the door and try to remember their names (without the seating chart) each day. It was like a game to him. I loved that (and I am terrible with names). And, they appreciated his smile and engagement daily.
- Deliver lessons with ENTHUSIASM: Teachers must be able to stand and deliver and present content in a way that gets students involved. We can tune in for about 15 seconds if we are not engaged. So, I agree that if you cannot muster up the energy and enthusiasm for the topic, the students can't be expected to want to listen. He said you only listen to 7% of the words; 38% is tone of voice and 55% of body language.
I do believe that some teachers are so stagnant or they are so "obvious" when there is a topic they don't absolutely love. But, it's important that students feel that the content is important or they may not feel the need to learn it.
And, for goodness sakes, smile at the students. Daily. Even if you have a headache. As Annie said, "You're never fully dressed without a smile."
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