engaging students

Hey, amazing one. Welcome back to the Empowered Edupreneur Podcast.

I was inspired by a conversation I had in the Instagram DM’s with someone who has been listening to my podcast. She shared a struggle with me and I realized that this is most likely a struggle that most people in online business will struggle with.

The struggle was that she has a monthly membership where students get certain services a month, however, some of the students simply aren’t showing up to use it. She is carrying all this guilt about it. Do you feel guilty about your students paying you and not fully showing up in your containers/ courses/ memberships? Then this is the episode for you!

In this episode, I will share:

• The single most important thing you should understand about your students’ accountability and responsibility in your programs.
• How to set up practical and energetic systems to prompt greater accountability, engagement and action from your students so they can get the best results.

If you apply these things in your offers and containers, you will see an improvement in how students show up as well as the results they get. And you can finally let go of all that guilt that is energetically bringing you down so you can actually grow your business.

In this new year, are you an educator wanting to create a digital course or group program but have no clue how to start? My freebie: The Scalable Digital Course Roadmap is your first step. This is for the freelance / teaching business owners who are burning out from trading their time for money and are looking to create a digital course but have no clue where to start. I am giving you the 6 steps to turning your 1 x 1 students into a scalable course that will free you from the teaching treadmill.

Grab it HERE!

Each of us may have a different idea about what student engagement looks like or how we increase it in our classrooms. In this episode Sourcewell consultants, Julie and Maggie, share their expertise around learning targets and scales and technology to help your students feel connected to their learning. 

How do you know when students are engaged?

•  Engagement looks and sounds different for everyone, never assume!

•  Engaged students

           o   can articulate what they are learning and why

           o   know their learning progression and path

           o   know the target and can self-evaluate progress

•  Student agency and personalized connection to the content creates engagement

Who is responsible for student engagement?

•  It’s a collective effort that must include student and family input

•  Educators must clearly present the learning path and progression of learning

•  Educators must balance the needs of the variety of students

•  Center your students and the learning outcomes; de-center yourself (teacher)

What are common reasons that students disengage?

•  No relationship to the adults or to the content

•  Not feeling welcome or included in the class or school

•  When there is a singular (teacher selected) way to show learning

•  Not seeing themselves in the content or how it connects to their life

How can we proactively address disengagement?:

•  Create a safe space for students to share how they’re feeling

•  Provide multiple opportunities to support around content

•  Greet students at the door

•  Positive check-ins, observations, and sharing with families and caregivers

•  Specific positive feedback

Strategies to engage all students:

•  Use technology as an option to access and connect with teachers

•  Intentional and personalized conversations with each student or matching to other adults in the building

•  Using a seating chart to ensure that students are getting a check-in

•  Set clear and visual learning targets and proficiency scales

•  Use pre-assessments to match learning to a variety of skill levels

•  Use turn and talks, collaboration, and group work

•  Include student voice and choice in learning decisions

•  Recognize when a topic may be dry and invite students to weigh in on how to show learning

•  Help students see themselves and make connections to the content

Reflection Questions:

•  What is your one next step?

•  How has (or how would) using a clear progression of learning skills engage your students?

•  How have you (or how will you) used technology to help students better connect to their world?

Resources & References

•  High Reliability Schools Framework by Marzano Research

•  ISTE Student standards

•  ISTE Educator standards

•  TPACK in 2min

•  SAMR Model

Connect with Julie or Maggie via email education@sourcewell-mn.gov

Browse resources and access full show notes at https://www.mn.sourcewell.org/education/podcast

Learn more about upcoming trainings and events for educators at www.mn.sourcewell.org/education

In this episode, I interview educator Michael McLaughlin, Head of Middle School at Austin Prep in Reading, MA. Michael shares how he strives to raise the engagement of his middle school learners and how he is inspired by sharing ideas with other educators. 

This edWeb podcast is sponsored by Breakout EDU.
The webinar recording can be accessed here. 

Educators are eager to create 21st-century skilled, self-directed learners—but what needs to be in place for that to be successful? How can educators move from classroom learning that is unconnected from students’ lived experiences and create opportunities for students to use their skills and knowledge to lead their learning? 

In this edWeb podcast, educator and researcher Julie Stern and edtech expert and educator Maria Arfanakis discusses how schools can shift their focus from teaching to the standards to teaching for learning transfer. The presenters share more about what learning transfer is and how educators can use it to design equitable learning experiences that are meaningful and engaging. Educators learn how the right instructional moves, such as discussion-focused collaborative games, create a perfect conduit to harness students’ prior learning and experiences, move students toward expertise, and improve students’ social-emotional learning. 

The conversation addresses the practical steps educators can take to move from a teacher-controlled to a student-led classroom, how leaders can encourage their staff to prioritize the instructional behaviors that maximize student learning while preparing students to tackle the complex challenges in their careers, and how centralizing learning transfer has the power to transform schools into vibrant laboratories of learning and problem solving. 

This edWeb podcast is of interest to teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders of all grade levels. 

Learn more about viewing live edWeb presentations and on-demand recordings, earning CE certificates, and using accessibility features.

Join Teacher Coach Josh Vine as he unpacks the strategies for engaging students in problem solving.  Problem solving is a skill for life that needs to be explicitly taught and modelled.  This episode highlights several strategies that teachers can employ to facilitate students in problem solving.