Young children performed better academically and improved classroom behavior when the engagement was at the highest level. A study carried out by Khan et al. (2017), concluded that engagement played a crucial role in making them productive, only when the right strategies were employed. Creatively using technology was discovered to increase motivation among learners, hence promoting their willingness to participate in-class activities. This essay presents some tactics that were used by educators to foster an engaging learning environment.
One way discovered to build an engaging learning environment for young children was to incorporate fun or stimulating activities in learning. Designing puzzles, telling stories, and watching funny but educative clips with students to explain class concepts was an effective way of increasing their participation in class. Jokes elicited laughter, screaming, noise, and comments, such groups were more interested in future lessons. This also made learners view teachers as friendlier and helping people (Khan et al., 2017). According to the research, organizing talent-centered fun sessions was an effective way of engaging students and keeping them motivated. It was also found that young learners liked to showcase their talents and abilities to their fellow learners, and hence, talent-centered activities increased their engagement. For instance, including rap, poetry, painting, and organizing weekly outdoor activities were also considered an effective way of making school enjoyable, hence lowering absenteeism rates. The research discovered that using technology in creating fun games for young children, such as identifying wild animals on e-learning tablets, engaged them even further.
The other way found to be effective in engaging students in a learning environment was to allow them to enjoy having control over their work. According to Khan et al. (2017), letting them a set time to do and submit their assignments, choose questions from a variety, and organize weekly personal tutoring sessions improved their class performance. This ensured that students understood that completing such tasks as their responsibility, hence, making them better time managers and planners. Further, perceived expertise, such as inviting a war veteran when handling WWII topics, was an effective way of making students ask questions and even be more interested in study topics.
Engagement and maintaining interest in learning activities were important components of instilling active learning. According to Patall et al. (2018), for young children to be engaged in class, they must be motivated because it makes them more willing to participate in learning tasks. This served as a primary way for students’ engagement because it answered their ‘why’ question when deciding to participate in learning activities, and made schooling even more enjoyable for young children. Khan et al. (2017) argued that matching students’ talents with various motivation strategies, such as rewards, and carrying out surveys to examine their interests in particular subjects was an excellent way of promoting engagement. Therefore, according to the research, active learning involved devising ways of motivating students to lure them into participation.
Conclusively, motivating students was found to be an essential part of fostering an active and engaging learning environment. For young children, creatively incorporating fun or stimulating content into learning experiences was found to be an excellent way of increasing engagement during learning activities. Further allowing students to have autonomy over their work was discovered to elevate their independence, and thus, make their performance even better. Additionally, the research showed that motivation through technology could be used to stimulate creative thinking among students.
References
Khan, A., Egbue, O., Palkie, B., & Madden, J. (2017). Active learning: Engaging students to maximize learning in an online course. Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 15(2), 107-115. Web.
Patall, E. A., Steingut, R. R., Vasquez, A. C., Trimble, S. S., Pituch, K. A., & Freeman, J. L. (2018). Daily autonomy supporting or thwarting and students’ motivation and engagement in the high school science classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(2), 269–288. Web.