Welcome to an engaging discussion on enhancing student engagement in today’s learning environments. I’m Victoria Saylor, the Arizona Regional Manager at Common Sense Education. Today, we’re thrilled to have Dr. Nicolette H. McNeil with us to share her insights on this topic. Dr. McNeil has over 23 years of experience in education, including 18 years in administration. Recently, she returned to classroom teaching at Biltmore Prep Academy in Phoenix, Arizona, a Title I school known for its diverse student population and dual language program.
Dr. McNeil’s return to the classroom highlights her passion for student engagement. With the shift to distance learning, whether through hybrid or fully online models, maintaining student engagement has become a critical challenge. Teachers have had to adapt quickly, often relying on online resources for professional development. Dr. McNeil emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing teaching skills and adapting them to new environments rather than starting from scratch.
Engagement issues are not new; they have been present even in traditional classroom settings. Understanding how the brain works can help address these challenges. The brain consists of two hemispheres: the left hemisphere, responsible for logical thinking, and the right hemisphere, which governs social-emotional skills. Effective teaching engages both sides of the brain, fostering not only academic learning but also social-emotional development.
Dr. McNeil shares a five-step strategy based on the SIOP model, which integrates language and content learning for language learners. This approach emphasizes opportunities for students to speak, write, read, and listen, enhancing engagement across all subjects.
Begin by outlining the lesson’s objectives. Consider what students need to learn and how they will demonstrate their understanding. This step sets the foundation for the entire learning process.
Incorporate activities that promote speaking and listening, such as think-pair-share. These can be adapted for online learning using chat functions or tools like Flipgrid, which facilitate discussions and peer feedback.
Provide opportunities for students to read and write about the lesson content. This not only reinforces learning but also encourages students to organize their thoughts and express their ideas clearly.
Engage students at various levels of rigor using the Depth of Knowledge framework. This approach challenges students to think critically and evaluate their peers’ contributions, deepening their understanding.
Integrate social-emotional learning into the framework. By helping students process their thoughts and emotions, teachers can address the unique challenges students face today, fostering a supportive learning environment.
Dr. McNeil’s strategies offer a comprehensive approach to increasing student engagement, applicable across different subjects and age groups. By focusing on both academic and social-emotional aspects of learning, educators can create a more engaging and effective educational experience. For further insights and resources, this session is available on our Common Sense Education YouTube channel. Thank you for joining us, and a special thanks to Dr. McNeil for her valuable contributions!
Define clear objectives for a lesson you plan to teach. Share your objectives with peers and discuss how these objectives can be communicated effectively to students. This will help you set a strong foundation for student engagement.
Engage in a virtual think-pair-share activity using a platform like Flipgrid. Record your thoughts on a given topic, pair with a peer to exchange feedback, and share insights with the group. This will enhance your speaking and listening skills in an online setting.
Participate in a group project where you read a piece of content and collaboratively write a summary or analysis. Use tools like Google Docs to facilitate real-time collaboration and feedback. This will reinforce your reading and writing skills.
Work in teams to create questions and activities that align with different Depth of Knowledge levels for a specific topic. Present your ideas to the class and discuss how these can be used to deepen student understanding.
Design a brief lesson plan that incorporates social-emotional learning elements. Share your plan with peers and discuss how these elements can help address students’ emotional needs and enhance engagement.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Thank you for watching, everyone! We’ll be starting in just a few minutes. Hi, everybody! Thank you for joining us for distance learning with Common Sense. My name is Victoria Saylor, and I am the Arizona Regional Manager here at Common Sense Education. Today’s title is “Five Steps for Increasing Student Engagement,” and our guest today is Dr. Nicolette H. McNeil. I want to welcome Dr. McNeil; we’re so happy you’re here. Thank you again for being with us!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Yes, thank you so much for having me and for all you do for our community of educators who need so much help and support right now. My name is Dr. Nicolette H. McNeil, and I have been an educator for over 23 years. I just wrapped up 18 years in administration and went back to the classroom last year. It has been an exciting adventure! I decided to teach at Biltmore Prep Academy here in Phoenix, Arizona, which is a Title I school in the Crane School District. We have a diverse population of students, including English learners, and we also incorporate a dual language program. One of the main reasons I went there is that my kids go there. After serving everyone else’s kids and working with teachers, it was time to spend time with my kids and apply all the things I’ve learned outside of the classroom.
I know you bring a wealth of information and experience to this talk today. I want to remind everybody that this is being recorded and will be available on our Common Sense Education YouTube channel, along with all the resources we share today.
Dr. McNeil, it’s fascinating that you went back to the classroom, and it shows where your heart is. I know you love working with kids, and your main goal has always been to reach all students and keep them actively engaged. With the shift to distance learning right now, whether it’s a hybrid model or completely online, what can you tell us about keeping student engagement strong? What are some things you can recommend for us?
As teachers, we have had to go remote from one day to the next, figuring everything out and watching a lot of YouTube videos for professional development. There are so many new things to learn. However, I think something we’ve forgotten as teachers is how good we are and how much we already know. We need to take what we already know and apply it to a new environment. When we’re stuck, instead of looking for something new and starting from zero, we should think about how we would do this in the classroom and how that can transfer online.
The strategy I’m going to share today is for engaging students face-to-face, focusing not just on academics but also on social-emotional learning. Many of us, including teachers, are feeling social-emotional stress because we aren’t having the interactions we’re used to. However, there are opportunities for many types of interactions; we just have to be open to it by leaning on what we already know and what worked before.
One ongoing question is how to increase student engagement. Teachers are wondering if student engagement will be the same and if they are reaching students as well as tapping into higher-order thinking skills. Can you explain the relationship between how a student’s brain is wired and how that fits together for learning?
Absolutely! Engagement has always been an issue, even when we were in school. The type of engagement problems we’re facing today have existed for a long time. The brain is a complex organ, and we often don’t learn much about how it works. The brain has two hemispheres: the left hemisphere, which is responsible for logical thinking, and the right hemisphere, which is where our social-emotional skills come into play. When we only teach to one side of the brain, we’re only tapping into a portion of engagement. By engaging both sides of the brain, students not only engage in learning but also develop social-emotional skills.
I’m excited to share the five-step strategy that I use, which has been successful for many teachers. This strategy is based on the SIOP model, which focuses on teaching language and content to language learners simultaneously. We emphasize opportunities for students to speak, write, read, and listen.
The first step is to think about what the whole lesson will be about. What opportunities do students have to learn about it? How will we know what they read? The second step is to ensure that students can speak and listen about what they’ve learned. This can be done through simple activities like think-pair-share, which can also be adapted for online learning.
For example, in an online setting, students can open the chat, write their responses, and then share them when prompted. Tools like Flipgrid can also be used to facilitate discussions and peer feedback.
In terms of rigor, we can define it using the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels. By providing opportunities for students to read, write, listen, and speak, we can engage them at all levels of rigor. This approach helps students organize their ideas and evaluate each other, increasing engagement and understanding.
This framework is relevant for all ages and can be applied across subjects, including social studies and math. It’s essential to remember that literacy should also be structured, and we can integrate these strategies seamlessly into our lessons.
Lastly, the connection between social-emotional learning and this framework is significant. By using these strategies, we can help students process their thoughts and feelings, which is especially important given the challenges they face today.
Thank you so much for this insightful discussion! If anyone has questions or wants to continue the conversation, please feel free to reach out. This session is being recorded and will be available on our YouTube channel. Thank you, Dr. McNeil, and thank you all for being here!
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This sanitized version maintains the essence of the conversation while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.
Student Engagement – The level of interest, curiosity, and involvement a student shows towards their learning and educational activities. – Example sentence: “Increasing student engagement in the classroom can lead to better academic outcomes and a more dynamic learning environment.”
Distance Learning – A method of studying where teachers and students do not meet in a classroom but use the Internet, email, mail, etc., to have classes. – Example sentence: “Distance learning has become a vital component of education, especially during times when in-person attendance is not possible.”
Social-Emotional – Relating to the development of a person’s ability to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. – Example sentence: “Incorporating social-emotional learning in the curriculum helps students develop essential life skills beyond academics.”
Teaching Skills – The abilities and techniques that educators use to effectively impart knowledge and facilitate learning among students. – Example sentence: “Continuous professional development is crucial for educators to enhance their teaching skills and adapt to new educational challenges.”
Academic Learning – The process of acquiring knowledge and skills through study and instruction in an educational setting. – Example sentence: “Academic learning is complemented by extracurricular activities that provide a well-rounded educational experience.”
Language Learners – Individuals who are in the process of learning a new language in addition to their native language. – Example sentence: “Teachers need to employ diverse strategies to support language learners in mastering both the language and the subject matter.”
Reading – The process of interpreting written symbols to derive meaning and understanding from text. – Example sentence: “Developing strong reading skills is fundamental to a student’s success across all areas of study.”
Writing – The act of producing text to communicate ideas, information, or narratives effectively. – Example sentence: “Writing is a critical skill that enables students to express their thoughts clearly and persuasively.”
Critical Thinking – The ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. – Example sentence: “Critical thinking is essential in social studies as it allows students to evaluate historical events and current issues from multiple perspectives.”
Educational Experience – The cumulative knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired through formal and informal learning activities. – Example sentence: “A diverse educational experience prepares students to navigate complex social and professional environments.”
