Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
Standard 4.1
Students learn best when they feel accepted, when they
enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible
members of the learning community. Effective teachers
foster positive relationships within environments that are caring, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and cohesive.
Effective teachers attend to the cultural and linguistic
diversity of all their students.
The Ministry of Education, New Zealand
enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible
members of the learning community. Effective teachers
foster positive relationships within environments that are caring, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and cohesive.
Effective teachers attend to the cultural and linguistic
diversity of all their students.
The Ministry of Education, New Zealand
Invite Students to Learn
Students become engaged in learning when their teachers meet their need for affirmation, contribution, purpose, and challenge. Invite students
to learn. Teachers can extend invitations to learn in many ways. Such invitations exist in the way that a teacher addresses students, in the learning environment, in classroom procedures, and in student work that promotes both engagement and understanding.
Affirmation - young people seek an afirmation that they are significant in the classroom.
Contribution - to make a difference in any sort of community, one must contribute. Many students
come to school looking for a way to contribute to their world. They need to feel that:
Purpose
Power - Young people seek increasing power over the world. Teachers who purposefully assist young learners to develop
a sense of power invite their students to learn. To feel powerful in the classroom, students need to believe that:
Challenge - something deep inside humans seeks challenge despite fears. Students feel challenged in the
classroom when they perceive that the work here compliments my ability:
Source: Carol Ann Tomlinson is Professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903; cat3y@virginia.edu. She is author of How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (ASCD, 2001).
Observe and Reflect on Learner Engagement Indicators
OBSERVATIONS
Very High High Medium Low Very Low
Posititve Body Language 0 0 0 0 0
Students exhibit body language that indicate they are paying attention to the teacher and/or other students.
Consistent Focus 0 0 0 0 0
All students are focused on the learning activity with minimum distruptions.
Verbal Participation 0 0 0 0 0
Students express thoughtful ideas, reflective answers, and questions relevant or appropriate to learning.
Student Confidence 0 0 0 0 0
Students exhibit confidence and can initiate and complete a task with limited coaching and can work in a group.
Fun and Excitement 0 0 0 0 0
Students exhibit interest and enthusiasm and use positive humor.
PERCEPTIONS
Very High High Medium Low Very Low
Individual Attention 0 0 0 0 0
Students feel comfortable seeking help and asking questions. Question to Ask: What do you do in this class if you
need extra help?
Clarity of Learning 0 0 0 0 0
Students can describe the purpose of the lesson or unit. this is not the same as being able to describe the activity
being done during class. Questions to Ask: What are you working on? What are you learning from this work?
Meaningulness of Work 0 0 0 0 0
Students find the work interesting, challenging, and connected to learning. Questions to Ask: What are you learning?
Is this interesting to you? Do you know why you are learning this?
Rigorous Thinking 0 0 0 0 0
Students work on complex problems, create original solutions, and reflect on the quality of their work. Questions to
Ask: How challenging is this work? In what ways do you have the opportunity to be creative?
Performance Orientation 0 0 0 0 0
Students understand what quality work is and how it will be assessed. They also can describe the criteria by which
their work will be evaluated. Questions to Ask: How do you know you have done good work? What are some elements
of quality work?
Overall Level of Student 0 0 0 0 0
Engagement
Encourage Student Feedback
Use the following five-point scale to allow students to rate the level of engagement. Have students write a rating number
on a card or individual whiteboard. Students hold up the card with their chosen rating. Before students begin, explain the
criteria that will be used to rate the level of engagement. A class is highly engaging if:
Rating Scale
1. Low level of engagement: Class was boring, time moved slowly.
2. Low to moderate level of engagement: Class was okay.
3. Moderal level of engagement overall or high level for a short time: Class was good.
4. High level of engagement for a major portion of the lesson: Class was very good.
5. High level of engagement for the entire lesson: Wish we had more time.
Students become engaged in learning when their teachers meet their need for affirmation, contribution, purpose, and challenge. Invite students
to learn. Teachers can extend invitations to learn in many ways. Such invitations exist in the way that a teacher addresses students, in the learning environment, in classroom procedures, and in student work that promotes both engagement and understanding.
Affirmation - young people seek an afirmation that they are significant in the classroom.
- I am accepted and acceptable here just as i am.
- I am safe here - physically, emotionally and intellectually.
- People here care about me.
- People here listen to me.
- People know what I'm doing and it matters to them that i do well.
- People acknowledge my interests and perspectives and act upon them.
Contribution - to make a difference in any sort of community, one must contribute. Many students
come to school looking for a way to contribute to their world. They need to feel that:
- I make a difference in this place.
- I bring unique and valuable perspectives and abilities to this place.
- I help other students and the entire class to succeed.
- i am connected to others through mutual work on common goals.
Purpose
- Students come to school in search of purpose. They need to know that.
- I understand what we do here.
- I see significance in what we do.
- What we do reflects me and my world.
- The work absorbs me.
Power - Young people seek increasing power over the world. Teachers who purposefully assist young learners to develop
a sense of power invite their students to learn. To feel powerful in the classroom, students need to believe that:
- What i learn here is useful to me now.
- I make choices that contribute to my success.
- I know what quality looks like and how to create quality work here.
- Dependable support for my journey exists in this classroom.
Challenge - something deep inside humans seeks challenge despite fears. Students feel challenged in the
classroom when they perceive that the work here compliments my ability:
- The work stretches me.
- I work hard in this classroom.
- When i work hard, i generally succeed.
- I am accountable for my own growth, and i contribute to the growth of others.
- I accomplish things here that i didnt believe were possible.
Source: Carol Ann Tomlinson is Professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903; cat3y@virginia.edu. She is author of How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (ASCD, 2001).
Observe and Reflect on Learner Engagement Indicators
OBSERVATIONS
Very High High Medium Low Very Low
Posititve Body Language 0 0 0 0 0
Students exhibit body language that indicate they are paying attention to the teacher and/or other students.
Consistent Focus 0 0 0 0 0
All students are focused on the learning activity with minimum distruptions.
Verbal Participation 0 0 0 0 0
Students express thoughtful ideas, reflective answers, and questions relevant or appropriate to learning.
Student Confidence 0 0 0 0 0
Students exhibit confidence and can initiate and complete a task with limited coaching and can work in a group.
Fun and Excitement 0 0 0 0 0
Students exhibit interest and enthusiasm and use positive humor.
PERCEPTIONS
Very High High Medium Low Very Low
Individual Attention 0 0 0 0 0
Students feel comfortable seeking help and asking questions. Question to Ask: What do you do in this class if you
need extra help?
Clarity of Learning 0 0 0 0 0
Students can describe the purpose of the lesson or unit. this is not the same as being able to describe the activity
being done during class. Questions to Ask: What are you working on? What are you learning from this work?
Meaningulness of Work 0 0 0 0 0
Students find the work interesting, challenging, and connected to learning. Questions to Ask: What are you learning?
Is this interesting to you? Do you know why you are learning this?
Rigorous Thinking 0 0 0 0 0
Students work on complex problems, create original solutions, and reflect on the quality of their work. Questions to
Ask: How challenging is this work? In what ways do you have the opportunity to be creative?
Performance Orientation 0 0 0 0 0
Students understand what quality work is and how it will be assessed. They also can describe the criteria by which
their work will be evaluated. Questions to Ask: How do you know you have done good work? What are some elements
of quality work?
Overall Level of Student 0 0 0 0 0
Engagement
Encourage Student Feedback
Use the following five-point scale to allow students to rate the level of engagement. Have students write a rating number
on a card or individual whiteboard. Students hold up the card with their chosen rating. Before students begin, explain the
criteria that will be used to rate the level of engagement. A class is highly engaging if:
- The work is interesting and challenging.
- You are inspired to do high-quality work.
- You understand why and what you are learning.
- Time seems to pass quickly.
Rating Scale
1. Low level of engagement: Class was boring, time moved slowly.
2. Low to moderate level of engagement: Class was okay.
3. Moderal level of engagement overall or high level for a short time: Class was good.
4. High level of engagement for a major portion of the lesson: Class was very good.
5. High level of engagement for the entire lesson: Wish we had more time.
