How to Care in the Classroom & Student Engagement
- 1). Talk to the students out of class and get to know them. Students are more likely to get motivated in class when teachers are interested in the student as a person and show concern for the student's future, states Dr. Richard D. Jones of the International Center for Leadership in Education. Take time to find out about students' interests and lives outside of class in order to care about the students as individuals.
- 2). Give rewards spontaneously. Rewards for good results or behavior on a class wide basis will result in better overall behavior later. The use of small rewards, such as a few minutes of recreation time during class or a piece of candy given out, can motivate students to work harder and take more interest in classes. Avoid telling students they will receive a reward beforehand and give rewards without warning when students get motivated and engaged. Positive reinforcement will go a long way to getting students engaged in class activities and shows caring on the part of the teacher.
- 3). Relate lessons to students' backgrounds. Students learn best when they are able to see how a lesson in school can relate to their personal lives. Teachers who talk to the students and learn about them are able to use student home cultures to tie in personal lives to the class. For example, if a student comes from a family that has recently immigrated to the United States and the student's home culture is different, the teacher might use examples based on that student's personal culture. Use different student examples with each lesson to get all of the class interested.
- 4). Teach topics which interest the students. While some lessons, such as math or history, might have limitations and require creativity to tie into current events which affect students, using student concerns, issues or topics of interest can make students more willing to learn the lessons.
- 5). Open topics for discussion. Allowing students to give personal opinions will always bring interest and allow students to learn different points of view. For example, while teaching a history lesson about the Renaissance and fashion styles at the time, ask students about their opinions about the hairstyles, dresses or men's clothing of the era.
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