How can teachers ensure that all students are engaged and motivated? Rather than being single faceted, engagement displays itself in a variety of ways. For example, students can demonstrate that they are engaged in the learning process through on-task behavior. They can also show that they are engaged through their emotional reactions, expressing positive emotions and feelings that reflect their sense of authenticity and purpose during the learning process. Finally, engagement can manifest cognitively when students appear genuinely invested in understanding and retaining what they are being asked to learn and willing to persevere in overcoming obstacles and misconceptions.

This module continues our exploration of strategies for engaging students, with special emphasis on response rates, providing opportunities for physical movement, and appropriately pacing lessons and units. Each of these three strategies uses the five factors associated with high levels of student engagement:

• High energy
• Missing information
• The self-system
• Mild pressure
• Mild controversy and competition

Reflecting on Your Current Beliefs and Practices