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Sparking Student Engagement: Strategies for Student Success

Dr. Bryan Harris

www.bryan-harris.com

@bryankharris7

www.bryan-harris.com

For information about free resources, a monthly newsletter, and training

opportunities contact me at

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See something you can’t live without? You have permission.(or send me an email)

“I know I’m engaged in something when…”

“I get bored easily when…”

Sentence Starters

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Boredom & Engagement - a 10,000 foot view

What is Boredom?

Emotional StateUninteresting

TemporaryAttention

SituationalDispositional

"precursor to mischief"Lack of interest

FatigueEnnui

The Blahs

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A Classroom Boredom: A temporary emotional condition marked by disinterest in the information, context, or events provided by the teacher that may sometimes often result(s) in inappropriate behaviors. (pg xvii) Harris, 2010

What is Boredom?

AttentionInvolvementParticipation

SharingAction

Willingness"Indicator of success"

MotivatingAn attitudeChallenge

What is Engagement?

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Engagement: A state of emotional and cognitive commitment or willingness to participate in the task or learning goal. (pg vii) – Harris, 2010

What is Engagement?

Engagement & Boredom: The Evidence

Is School Boring? A Case for Yes

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1. Boredom is cited as a leading factor for low achievement and school drop out. (Gates Foundation, 2006)

2. Men are more prone to boredom than women. (Vodanovich & Wallace, 2005)

3. Extroverts are more prone to boredom than introverts. (McIntosh, 2006)

4. People prone to boredom report fewer incidents of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. (Gosline, 2007)

5. B___________ & cu_________are among the leading causes of drug use among teens. (Todman, 2005)

Tru

e o

r Fa

lse?

Engagement & Boredom: The Evidence

Have You Ever Been Bored in Class in High School?

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•The material wasn’t interesting 81%

•The material wasn’t relevant 42%

•No interaction with the teacher 35%

•The work wasn’t challenging enough 33%

•The work was too difficult 26%

High School Survey of Student Engagement (2009) Yazzie-Mintz

Is Boredom just a High School Thing?

Source: Pianta, Belsky, Houts, & Morrison, 2007

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% o

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Gallup, 2013The School Cliff: Student Engagement Drops With Each School Year½ Million – 1700 - 37

“monumental, collective national failure”

Does it get better as we get older?

Boredom reported in 40% of all academic situations among:

A. College Students – UndergradsB. College Students– Grad SchoolC. College Professors – Staff MeetingsD. Conference Workshop Attendees

Daniels, et al, 2009

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Gallup, 2013

It’s an “ecosystem” that includes

students, teachers, and

leadership.

If Agree or Strongly Agree to:

“My school is committed to building the strengths of each student.”

& “I have at least one teacher who makes me

excited about the future.”

Results?

30x more likely to be engaged

at school!

The “perfect

storm” of boredom?

Control Value Theory of Emotions

Low Control + Low Value =

“Perfect storm of boredom”

In the classroom: A student is given no choice on how to complete a task that

has no relevance or meaning.Pekrun, 2009Daniels & Tze, 2014

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This is the truth!

The brain will not stay bored for long. Boredom is a stressful, unpleasant emotional state.

It WILL find something to engage with.

But, in a classroom setting, that “something” is often

disruptive and unproductive.

Would you rather be bored or

experience physical pain?

Wilson, et al 2014

Alone in a room, nothing to do for 15 minutes. Just you

and your thoughts.

67% of Men25% of Women

Voluntarily gave themselves a mild electric shock rather

than endure boredom!

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• B significantly impacts learning.

• B is an emotional state.

• B results when skill exceeds the challenge or there is little choice.

• To mitigate B• “Identify situational antecedents”• Offer autonomy, control, challenge, intrinsic motivation,

meaningful tasks, adequate resources, movement, options

Vogel-Walcutt et al, 2012

Hattie, 2

01

89

Boredom has a -.47 effect size!That’s in the bottom 5.

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MIP

The social science stuff is

spot on, but what is

happening in my brain when

I’m bored?

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During stressful states, including boredom…

less activity in the PFC, more activity in the amygdala

Parasuraman & Jiang, 2012

During a boring task, the DefaultMode Network (DMN) kicks in.The DMN is associated with:

Autobiographical MemoriesReminiscing

Remembering“Day dreaming”

Basically, the DMN is all about the internalthoughts, feelings, connections because theoutside world isn’t doing anything for us atthe moment.

fMRI Machines scan the brain for areas of activity as measured by changes in blood flow.

Danckert & Merrifield, 2016

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Low arousal = lower levels of dopamine.

What does Dopamine do?

People who report a tendency toward

boredom have lower levels of dopamine

and fewer dopamine receptors.

Zald, et al 2008

Take the 7 Min Challenge

“I can and will engage my students in something every 7 minutes, every day of the year. Boredom is not an option. Students will not be bored in my class.”

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B -Strategies are important, but they are not the whole story.

A - You already have a toolbox full of instructional strategies.

B - It’s misleading to say, “If I only had more strategies, things would be better.”

A -It’s about a deep, unwavering commitment to engaging your students.

B -Strategies alone don’t guarantee success.Shameless Plug

Positive Relationships+

High Expectations & Commitment+

Strategies +

Accountability=

Miracles

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So, what is engaging?• Authentic Work

• Caring Teachers

• Choice

• Competition

• Complexity & Challenge

• Control

• Controversy

• Cooperation & Collaboration

• Creativity

• Curiosity

• Emotions

• Humor

• Meaning

• Movement

• Multisensory Input

• Novelty

• Real-World Connections

• Relevance

• Relationships

• Self

The Battling Boredom Framework

Strategies to BEGIN a lesson

Strategies to END a lesson

Strategies for SOLO/INDEPENDENT work

Strategies for the WHOLE group

Strategies for PARTNERS/SMALL GROUPS

Strategies for STUDENT MOVEMENT

Strategies for RELUCTANT LEARNERS

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Say hello to your

Intraparietal

Sulcus

Tschentscher, N., Hauk, O., Fischer, M. H., & Pulvermüller, F. (2012). You can count on the motor

cortex: Finger counting habits modulate motor cortex activation evoked by numbers. Neuroimage, 59-

318(4-12), 3139–3148.

The part of your brain that

processes __________ is also

partially responsible for

______.

The brain/cognition and the

body are connected in just

about every way.

Cambridge U

Daniel Wolpert

neuroscientist

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Erwin, et al. (2012) A Quantitative Review of Physical Activity, Health, and Learning Outcomes

Associated with Classroom-Based Physical Activity Interventions. Journal of Applied School

Psychology. 28, 14-36

Energy Management

(Movement) Strategies

have a staggering

Effect Size!

ES = 1.51

Want to increase

attention and

engagement by 12%?

(7 more minutes per hour!)

Dornhecker, M., Blake, J., Benden, M., Zhao, H., & Wendel, M. (2015). The Effect of

Stand-biased Desks on Academic Engagement: An Exploratory Study. International

Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 53(5), 271–280. Sarah Taylor’s 2nd Grade Classroom – Mesquite Elem

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Even More Proof

The more time boys spent

sitting still in 1st grade

resulted in fewer reading

gains in 2nd and 3rd grade!

Haapala, E. A., Väistö, J., Lintu, N., Westgate, K., Ekelund, U., Poikkeus, A.-M., … Lakka, T. A.

(2017). Physical activity and sedentary time in relation to academic achievement in children.

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 20(6), 583–589.

As little as 12 minutes

of aerobic exercise

(like running in place)

can eliminate the gap

between low-income

and high-income

students!

Aerobic exercise increases reading

comprehension and visual attention.

Do you need to raise their reading scores?

Get them moving!

Tine, M. (2014). Acute aerobic exercise: an intervention for the

selective visual attention and reading comprehension of low-

income adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 575.

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Stationary Bikes and Reading –

a match made in your cerebellum!

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• Cognitive development &

physical development go

hand-in-hand.

• Exercise increases blood

flow and oxygen to the

brain.

• Exercise stimulates BDNF

– “miracle gro” for the

brain.

Dr. John Ratey

Students who participated in the LRPE program

significantly outperformed students who did not

participate - 56% better in reading; 93% better in math.

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Exercise and

Movement Help

Regulate Mood (including depression)

Blumenthal, et al 1999; Anderson & Shivakumar, 2013; Fritz & O’Connor, 2016

• Aerobic exercise was found

to be more effective than

antidepressants in treating

depression.

• Movement is effective at

helping ADHD individuals

improve focus and

motivation.

• Movement and exercise

helps reduce the symptoms

of anxiety.

Recess improves behavior

and academic achievement!

Rhea, 2013. Program Proves More Recess Improves Academic

Performance and Behavior www.50million.shapamerica.org

Decades of research show a

link between recess,

movement, and academics.

This isn’t new stuff.

More recent research demonstrates

that poor students are less likely to

get recess … further widening the

achievement gap. In our efforts to

increase test scores, too many

schools have opted to reduce

movement in order to focus on

remediation and test prep. (Pellegreni, 2012)

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Per

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Notice the

explosion of

new neurons

in the

hippocampus,

noted in reds

and yellows,

after exercise.

Who (else) Says Movement Works?

Over 3,400 peer-reviewed

studies in quality journals

on environmental

enrichment with data from both

animal and human studies.

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Incorporate Movement

• Games – Simon Says, etc

• Stretching

• Deep Breathing (yoga)

• Roam the Room/Gallery Walk

• Standing

• Running in Place

Oxygen + Glucose = the brain’s fuel

A – Movement increases blood circulation (which includes

oxygen, nutrients, and hormones)

B – Glucose is also released during movement

A – Movement activities can be as simple as standing,

stretching, and deep breathing

B – Or, they can be as involved as games, energizers,

and student-led activities

A – Movement and exercise helps regulate mood,

attention, and improves focus

B – There is a ton of research that demonstrates the

connection between cognition, movement, and exercise.

A –When students move more (including recess) we see

an improvement in everything from reading scores to

social-emotional skills

B – I’m convinced, I’d love to hear about more strategies.

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Even More Movement Strategies

• Ball Toss

• Change of

Perspective

• Consultation

• Corners

• Create-A-Skit

• Dueling Flip Charts

• Gallery Walk

• Give One/Get One

• Hand Motions

• Inside/Outside Circle

• Line Ups

• Move and Touch

• Snowball Fight

• Stand When

• Stand, Stretch, and

Breathe

• Voting Stickers

• Wear-A-Word

Keep in touch:bryan@bryan-harris.com

For more information, resources, and additional

training information:

www.bryan-harris.com