Student Engagement
Among the chief aims of my experiment in teaching alternative historical narratives in ninth grade World History was an increase in engagement. In my research for this inquiry project I have learned that “engagement” is a term currently in vogue in educational circles. It has been lauded as the cure for low academic achievement and high drop-out rates, though many struggle to formulate a definition of this elusive quality. Jennifer A. Fredricks, Phyllis C. Blumenfeld, and Allison H. Paris recognize the complexity and seeming intangibility of the term, and interpret the trait along behavioral, emotional, and cognitive lines in their 2004 publication "School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence." Behavioral engagement encompasses all school activity related to constructive participation. Behavioral engagement can be academically related, such as a raised hand in class or submitted assignment – or it may be related to extracurricular activities, like playing on the basketball team or attending the school musical. Meanwhile, emotional engagement pertains to students’ inner reactions to teachers, peers, academics, or any other aspect of the institution of the school. Of the three tiers of engagement, emotional engagement has been linked most often with willingness to stay in school as opposed to dropping out. Lastly, cognitive engagement relates to the desire to exert effort in order to complete a higher-order task or grasp a new idea (Blumenfeld, Fredricks, & Paris, 2004).
In my teaching of alternative historical narratives this year, I sought to encourage all three types of engagement in students. In my classroom I aimed to incorporate and activate student identities as vehicles for behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. While behavioral engagement was the easiest to discern, many lessons evoked emotional responses that I was able to observe in class and on paper. Finally, through my close analysis of student work, I detected many instances of cognitive engagement through students’ sophisticated contemplation of new concepts, specific use of language, and application of outside knowledge.
In my teaching of alternative historical narratives this year, I sought to encourage all three types of engagement in students. In my classroom I aimed to incorporate and activate student identities as vehicles for behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. While behavioral engagement was the easiest to discern, many lessons evoked emotional responses that I was able to observe in class and on paper. Finally, through my close analysis of student work, I detected many instances of cognitive engagement through students’ sophisticated contemplation of new concepts, specific use of language, and application of outside knowledge.