A Meaningful Mess by Andi McNair

Author:Andi McNair
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

Engage

Engaging today’s learners is by no means an easy task. If they are not engaged immediately, it is easy for them to check out and become distracted or even a behavior problem. Knowing that they have an attention span of only 8 seconds (BCM Partnership, 2015) is even more reason for us to find ways to grab their attention as soon as they walk through the door. I think back on my own classroom, and I can remember spending the first few minutes of class preparing myself. I would be getting things set up, taking attendance, and saying things like, “I’ll start class as soon as you guys decide to be quiet.” It’s funny to think that I really thought that my students were so anxious to start class that they were going to get quiet. Of course they weren’t. If they could postpone learning by being loud and disruptive, they were going to do just that. The reality, however, is that they were not excited about what we were going to do each day because I had not given them any reason to be.

Later in my career, I began to realize that if I would get students’ attention as soon as they walked in the door, I was much more likely to hold that attention throughout the class period. Instead of waiting for them, I did the best that I could to engage them as soon as class began. What could I say that would make them want to be in class? How could I build anticipation and excitement before class even got started?

Dave Burgess, the author of Teach Like a Pirate (2012), created several hooks for educators to use to engage their learners. The following are just a few examples of the many that are shared throughout the book:

1. The Safari Hook involves taking your class outside and learning beyond the walls of the classroom.

2. The Mozart Hook involves using music to engage learners.

3. The Student Hobby Hook involves using student interests to help them make connections to what is being learned.

Using these hooks helps educators understand how to engage their students from the moment they walk in the door. It might feel a little bit awkward at first doing something that you’ve never done before, and it may even be a little weird for your learners. They will wonder what you are doing and why you are doing it. But once you have their attention and can connect whatever it is you are doing to what is going to be learned that day, they will be on the edge of their seats waiting to see what comes next.

In a blended learning environment, a hook can even be shared before students walk in the door. Send a video the day before with a teaser about what they can expect and look forward to the next day. The Literacy Shed (https://www.literacyshed.com), TED-Ed (https://ed.ted.com), and BrainPOP (https://www.brainpop.com) are all great places to find videos that can be shared before or during a learning experience.

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