Practical ways to encourage participation and engagement

… by all students but especially, international students

A task:

In 4’s: define and illustrate

‘Participation by students’ in learning …

-what would it look like?

-what would it sound like?

-what might it feel like?-what might it produce

[outcomes]?

look sound

feel outcome

Meta-analysis:

Me asking the same questions of you, here, now…..

look? hear? feel? produce?

Question: why did that activity work for you?What might the differences be for your

students?

What some students say [paraphrased]

• ‘In the first six months, I had no idea at all what was talked about in lectures.’

• In seminars, by the time I thought of something, the topic moved on so I said nothing for a year’.

• My supervisor kept asking me what I was doing but I wasn’t doing anything because I didn’t know what to do and he didn’t tell me. It was like that for months.’

Common blocks: ‘engagement’ and ‘participation’

• Language competence. – cognitive load [translating, thinking, talking]– vocabulary for this event– pace and nonverbal signals for turn taking – confidence, ‘doing yourself justice’

• Knowing the ‘Rules of the game’ – how the method works– how the method supports learning– links to assessment and outcomes

• Skills gaps

• Inclusion issues [disadvantage success ]

can I use my previous knowledge and experience?is the system ‘fair’? can I succeed?is ‘participation’ negotiable? … do it differently from the norm?

Choreographing for participation

‘Organising for engagement’

‘Planning for buy-in’

‘Training for talking’

‘Check-lists & discussions for supervision’

what teachers do

what students do

Task: plan and act as teachers….Tools and issues

• Language competencelighten loadpace and

pausebuild

vocabulary• ‘Rules of the game’

explicit structurelinks to assessment

• Skills gaps [filling them]• Inclusion

Methods

1. Lectures [where students can think, make good notes, use material later]

2. Seminars [where students speak, listen, and develop their ideas]

3. Supervision [where students see where they are now + where/ how they go next]

Outcome in 20 minutes

For each method [lecture, seminar, supervision]For each issue [language, ‘rules’, skills, inclusion]

Identify teacher actions which would address the issue and encourage students to participate.

Write them downBe ready to share your recommendations in 20

minutes

keep the focus on teachers

TIS resources

Guidance on lecturing for learning

seminars for inclusionsupervision for success

Links to many other resources and studies

Sustainability issues in interactive teaching for diverse students

Higher demandHigher skillMore timeMore thinking and planning

From ‘natural’ and automatic to deliberate and planned

Q to teachers: What will keep you going?