It’s a gentle reminder that as teachers, we have so much influence over their experience, both in how we present the content and in how we make it relevant and engaging. Yes, there are factors beyond our control, but more often than we realise, the key to engagement is in the way we connect with children, make the material meaningful, and create an active learning environment. There's no doubt that it’s a challenge, but it's also an opportunity to constantly reflect and improve on how we engage our pupils!
I agree that so many children are keen to learn when it is worth the effort, i.e. interesting and applicable to their lives. Sometimes, just listening to their conversations can be a fascinating window into their worldview.
This quote: “The truth is: children concentrate deeply when they are engaged.
If they’re tuning out, it’s often not because the task is too long—but because it’s not meaningful enough, not challenging enough, or not active enough.”
This is a hard truth for teachers to accept. Sometimes the reasons for inattention and disengagement are beyond our control, but a lot of the time we need to take a look at our content, presentation, and activities. We hold a lot of the control!
It’s a gentle reminder that as teachers, we have so much influence over their experience, both in how we present the content and in how we make it relevant and engaging. Yes, there are factors beyond our control, but more often than we realise, the key to engagement is in the way we connect with children, make the material meaningful, and create an active learning environment. There's no doubt that it’s a challenge, but it's also an opportunity to constantly reflect and improve on how we engage our pupils!
I agree that so many children are keen to learn when it is worth the effort, i.e. interesting and applicable to their lives. Sometimes, just listening to their conversations can be a fascinating window into their worldview.
This quote: “The truth is: children concentrate deeply when they are engaged.
If they’re tuning out, it’s often not because the task is too long—but because it’s not meaningful enough, not challenging enough, or not active enough.”
This is a hard truth for teachers to accept. Sometimes the reasons for inattention and disengagement are beyond our control, but a lot of the time we need to take a look at our content, presentation, and activities. We hold a lot of the control!
Thanks for contributing, Geraldine. You're so right. Children's conversations can be so informative and are a joy to listen in on!