Student Engagement

When you walk into our classroom, you will find students sitting in silence at desks  organized into rows. FALSE! This is kindergarten! Students are learning when they are engaged. Plain and simple.

Throughout a day in our kindergarten class, you will find students learning new skills on our carpet, reinforcing skills in small groups, and applying learned skills independently or with a partner at their seats or on the floor. More importantly, you will see students using a variety of modalities to accomplish these tasks. Students are learning when they are talking, moving, and participating in hands-on activities.

Talking - Yes it is in my job description to teach the students in my class, however, I am not required to talk from the 8:30 bell to the 3:20 bell! I have found that the more opportunity I give my students to talk with one another and share their ideas, the better listeners they are when it counts. Strategies such asthink-pair-share always work well, but switching it up keeps students on their toes and prevents the rolled eyes and "I'm bored!" For example, rather than having students simply raise their hands and share when called on, I may have them sit in a circle and pass a ball around sharing on their turn. Another way to make sure students are engaged and attending is to have them share in pairs and then report their partner's thoughts to the class.

Movement - Kindergarten today is drastically different from what adults today remember. Even so, it is important to remember that my students are only 5 years old and need to opportunity to be kids! Between activities and during transitions, you can find my students engaged in songs, dances, and academic games. Not only does this help students get their wiggles out, but it's also just fun! I also give students the opportunity to find a work space that matches their needs. For some, a chair does not work well for their learning style, as can be seen to the left. Students are given the opportunity to use a clipboard on the floor, sit in a bean bag, move to a table by themselves, or even sit at my desk. 

Hands-On Learning - I find that when my students' hands and bodies are busy, their minds are busy, and therefore engaged in learning. I do anything I can to involve students in the modeling and teaching process, as well as provide them different ways to approach each task and still getting to the desired outcome. To the left is an example of a student using one of our many math manipulatives to help support his completion of the assignments. For the same activity, some students worked independently with no manipulatives, while others chose to collaborate with a partner, sharing the responsibilities.