Whenever student engagement goes downhill, most educators are at a loss for what they can do to make positive changes for their students.
They will pull out random videos, an enormous amount of time-consuming resources, and often complex activities - anything that can bring them closer to understanding the best way they can captivate their students into educational practices. But here is the main reason why all that effort will not always be rewarding or will not last long.
Educators make the mistake of thinking that the material engages students. When in reality, a student's engagement is highly reliant on their behavior towards them. That is why the change needs to come from you first. And we can help you get started.
Connecting Reality Within Education
You need to start using material that is actually relevant in real life later on. Many students will question the material they have to learn, wondering if they will actually use that information in the future. As an educator, you need to let them know that what you teach is useful for future endeavors beyond the walls of their classroom.
Using Collaboration Through Group Work
Another interesting tactic would be to get students to collaborate within a group. Their different views and opinions can help in benefitting them from each other's perspective while allowing them the ability to effectively express their ideas.
Using your judgment and knowledge can be another great way for everyone to work together. Create groups that avoid troublesome partnerships while simultaneously allowing students to work with people from different backgrounds and indulge in productive activities together.
You can further learn many methods to improve your teaching skills by approaching the professionals in this field, which in this case would be the highly acclaimed David Richmond Williams - a renowned American educator who has been known for his work in the professional sector. After he had completed his Ph.D, he joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 1961, where he served as a tenured professor until 2007.
As a behaviorist who was focused on the experimental work in the learning theory, he was able to work on various other things at the same time. He would bring the study of human experience to the forefront of psychological research while also exploring synergies between learning theory and personality theory's humanistic/existential strand.
Later on, he also served as the Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology. In his role as an educator, Williams created a series of web-based learning modules. These were made to provide students with personal experiences that were centered around the core concepts in existential, humanistic, and behavioral psychology.
Moreover, as the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology, he was appointed as the Chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Education in the College of Arts and Sciences. Around this time, he ensured that the undergraduate training included consideration of non-Western cultures and marginalized groups in the US.
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