Fun and Games (continued) - Student Engagement
With summer almost gone, it’s time to scour the ads for school supplies and to gear up for the new school year. The beginning of school always brings up conflicting emotions for me. First and foremost, the excitement and anticipation of meeting new students and trying new lessons, but also the anxiety of trying to meet so many new needs. Continuing with the trend of Fun and Games and with the understanding that engagement comes when students feel a connection with what they’re learning, here are some ideas gathered from two sources that inspired me this summer: 1) David Warlick’s Smartbrief identified “four qualities of gaming and social networking experiences that provoke active and deliberate investment from the learner, into what they’re learning.” He cites: a. Responsiveness (“Choices work or don’t, but everything gets feedback”); b. Collaboration (Learners discuss and build off one other ...