How can a teacher engage children?

NOTE: This is an edited adaptation of an article originally written by Margaret Allen for a NAACE publication during 2007.

In a world where technology abounds, is it the equipment or its implementation which will engage pupils in their own learning?

Each child is an individual and every child does matter, but how can a teacher treat every single child individually and continue to meet the needs of the rest of the class as well as meeting the day to day learning objectives?

A child’s future is being personalised by today’s experiences. Research has shown that children do benefit from formal feedback, but verbal discussion will have more impact than a written comment. Using Voting or a Learner Response System (LRS) for pupil self-review allows a degree of ownership and commitment to target setting. If children are to evaluate their own progress they should be involved in the target setting. A range of techniques should be adopted to promote self assessment.

Let us consider the combination of Activboards and LRS and recognise their potential impact on Personalised Learning. One of the strongest features of the way in which LRS can be used is to generate discussion opportunities. To gather pupil opinions and establish children’s understanding of right and wrong is paramount to their developing into responsible citizens of the future. The ability of LRS to engage pupils in discussion on a range of topics, can also begin to help meet the needs of a variety of learning styles. The graphical images and concrete examples necessary in any lesson together with the opportunity to give every learner a voice means that children can begin to own some of their classroom experience in a way which was rarely apparent in the past.

Effective questioning is key in establishing children’s understanding and offering an opportunity for all of the children to respond and therefore be included in any discussion is vital. When a class of children are asked a question, there will always be those who know the answer and put up their hand, there will also be those who don’t know the answer and put up their hand and then there are those who passively observe or opt out. Why ask one child when you can have the whole class responding and offering an opinion. Nobody likes getting the answer wrong, but we all know that it is precisely this experience which has the most impact when visiting a concept for the first time or learning a new method of doing something.

Giving the opportunity to check an answer is an ideal way of raising confidence. To be able to offer immediate feedback will undoubtedly assist the learner in his own understanding, but more importantly raise self esteem for those less confident pupils who may struggle to ask. If Personalised learning is about offering learners a voice and communicating their feelings about a particular topic then we need to ensure that they feel comfortable doing so. Using scenarios which allow children to identify with a character is a safe way of inviting opinion and encouraging discussion. I am always amazed at how apparently relaxed children are when engaging in a debate from behind a mask. This apparent anonymity eases even the most hesitant forward into the speaking arena. I think if this aspect of children’s development is addressed early enough it will give them the confidence to cope with what we are increasingly expecting of them within the Personalised Learning Arena.

Here is one of the many top tip videos from the TeacherTube Professional Development Channel that illustrates just one of the many ways of using votin with young learners.

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