Ok, teachers, I know you’ve seen it, our students have tired faces and glazed-over eyes, and you KNOW learning isn’t happening! You know, and research has proven, that when we find ways to ENGAGE students in our math lessons, their attention and focus increases; they are motivated to practice higher-level skills; and deeper, more meaningful learning takes place. So how do we engage reluctant students?
Here are some ideas to help.
1. Engage Students with individual White Boards
These have been a staple in my classroom to engage students in learning for years, and boy, do they make a HUGE difference! Kids seem to hate pencil and paper (or worksheets), but LOVE writing on their whiteboards! To manage this more easily, each student has their OWN board and keeps it at the bottom of their desk under their stack of notebooks. They also keep a marker in their pencil ledge, as well as a wipe. I just say “Please take out your whiteboards, markers, and wipes” – and in a few seconds, we are ready to go.
The whiteboards make practice so much more enjoyable for the kids, and it has the added bonus of giving me immediate information on who is “getting it”, and who needs more practice. When it comes time for some practice, I give the problem on my interactive whiteboard, and say, “Begin”. When I feel like students are mostly ready (after walking around and coaching whoever needs it), I say “5-4-3-2-1- SHOW-ME”, and they hold up their boards, and we review our work.
Something I like to do as a follow-up is called “My Favorite No”. This is an exercise where I say, “I saw a student with this answer…..”, and ask them to see if they can figure out where the mistake was. This is done, of course, after developing a culture in the classroom where mistakes are opportunities to learn and to understand each other’s thinking as a part of that learning process.
All in all, you can engage students with whiteboard practice, so I highly recommend making it part of your typical math routine.
2. Engage Students with Boom Cards tm
So, have you plunged into the world of Boom cards yet? If not, I highly recommend it! I had never heard of them until everyone was working remotely, and we needed to keep engagement high. In a nutshell, they are digital, self-checking interactive task cards, which give the student immediate feedback, and they LOVE them. Here is a video preview of my Classifying Quadrilaterals deck so you can see them in action. Classifying Quadrilaterals
Yes, it is hosted on the BOOM site but there is a free option. The paid option also allows you to get data on your student’s progress which is AWESOME.
BOOM LEARNING Stay tuned for a more in-depth blog post on Boom Cards – coming soon.
3. Engage Students with Games!
Use learning games!! There are a million ways to do this. But I will just focus on a couple for now.
Turn any lesson into a game using task cards in traditional games. You know all those board games that your own kids have outgrown, and you were considering throwing away? Or do you often see them as cheap as a dollar at neighborhood garage sales? Snag those babies up!! Games like Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Tic Tac Toe, Battleship, Connect 4, and even Battleship, can gain new life when all you have to do is solve a task card in order to take your turn. Kids will LOVE this!
How I Play Trashketball
- First, I show the class a problem and everyone works it. …
- I call on a student from the first team to share the answer. …
- If the answer is correct, their team gets a point and that student gets the chance to shoot the ball into the trash can.
- If a basket is made, then the team gets another point.
Sit back and watch how motivated your kids are to dig into the content of your lesson.
So, are you ready to “level-up” the engagement in your classroom? Give whiteboards, Boom Cards TM , and Gamification a try in your classroom!
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I’d love to hear from you! What have I left out? What are your favorite ways to engage your students?
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