How can teachers keep an entire classroom of students engaged when each child has different learning capacities? The key lies in strategically managing your students’ working memory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Uncommon Sense Teaching<\/em>, learning experts Barbara Oakley and Beth Rogowsky team up with neuroscientist Terrence Sejnowski demonstrate how clear classroom procedures free up mental resources for learning, while flexible accommodations allow every student to succeed at their own level. They also address the neurological reasons behind procrastination and provide practical strategies to help students push through these mental barriers. Here’s a look at their findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter how good your lesson plan is, in Uncommon Sense Teaching<\/a>, <\/em>Oakley, Rogowsky, and Sejnowski say that keeping a room full of students engaged and focused is an exceptional challenge. However, you can greatly mitigate this problem if you effectively manage your students\u2019 working memories.<\/strong> This means keeping those with small working memories from getting frustrated, while preventing those with large capacities from getting bored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Avoiding frustration and boredom is certainly important for keeping your students engaged, but it\u2019s only one part of the solution. In Humanocracy<\/em><\/a>, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini say that there are four key elements to keeping people engaged with their work<\/a>. Those elements are the autonomy <\/em>to find their own ways to solve problems, growth <\/em>through learning new things and tackling interesting challenges, a sense of connection <\/em>with their peers, and a mission <\/em>they can believe in; for students, that usually means a compelling answer to the age-old question \u201cwhy are we learning this?\u201d While Hamel and Zanini apply these principles to employee engagement, they\u2019re equally valid as elements of student engagement.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors write that having clear rules and procedures for your classroom will benefit all of your students<\/strong>, regardless of their individual memory capacities. This happens because your expectations eventually become procedural knowledge for the kids, after which they\u2019ll automatically know how to get ready for class and how to behave. As a result, they won\u2019t have to use up their working memory capacity thinking about what they\u2019re supposed to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: In 1-2-3 Magic<\/em><\/a>, clinical psychologist Thomas W. Phelan says that clear and regular routines have benefits beyond reducing the need for working memory<\/a>. First, routines help children build their executive functioning <\/em>skills\u2014self-control and the ability to act on their own initiative\u2014because they already know what they\u2019re expected to do. Second, routines boost children\u2019s self-esteem because they can carry out those routines on their own, instead of needing to ask for an adult\u2019s help.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors also say building a lesson plan in the way they recommend will create an overall structure that\u2019s accessible for all students. However, they urge you to build on that initial structure by accommodating individual students\u2019 needs as much as possible.<\/strong> You can do this effectively by providing options and resources that every student is able, but not required, to take advantage of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you could hand out written instructions that break tasks down into smaller steps, so students can refer to them as needed. This can be helpful for everyone, though students with smaller working memories will likely need to refer to the instructions more frequently. You might also offer optional, extra-credit activities that encourage students to apply their knowledge in new ways, such as writing an essay or creating a diorama. This will provide interesting challenges for students with large memory capacities, while not punishing those who don\u2019t have the capacity for such activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: The authors offer some suggestions that can help most students effectively manage their own needs. However, some kids\u2014especially those with learning disabilities or other disorders\u2014may need additional accommodations<\/a>. For example, some common accommodations for children with ADHD<\/a> include allowing extra time for tests and assignments, technological aids like text-to-speech programs (so they can listen to the material instead of reading it), or permission to use fidget toys in class as long as they don\u2019t disrupt other students.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oakley, Rogowsky, and Sejnowski add that people tend to assume that when students procrastinate on an assignment, it\u2019s because of a lack <\/em>of engagement (or simply laziness), but that isn\u2019t always the case. Instead, procrastination is often the result of genuine discomfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors explain that when people think about unpleasant or difficult tasks, it activates the parts of the brain responsible for processing physical pain.<\/strong> As a result, people tend to avoid thinking about such tasks, just like they avoid physical discomfort\u2014in other words, they procrastinate. Understanding this will help you respond to procrastination with appropriate strategies, rather than simply demanding harder work or better time management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Speaking more broadly, the human brain processes physical and emotional pain in remarkably similar ways<\/a>. This suggests that, on a subconscious level, we can\u2019t differentiate between physical danger and mental or emotional distress. Furthermore, this neurological quirk has effects that go far beyond simple procrastination. For example, it helps to explain why so many people suffer from such an intense fear of rejection<\/a> that they spend their lives trying to please everyone else<\/a>, to the point that they neglect their own needs and desires.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n To stop your students from procrastinating, the authors advise you to help your students learn how their minds operate and how they can work with their brain\u2019s natural processes.<\/strong> When kids understand why a task feels unpleasant and have the tools to deal with that feeling, they\u2019re much less likely to procrastinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, suppose you have a student who gets frustrated because they can\u2019t seem to grasp a skill, no matter how many practice questions they work through. You could explain that working through numerous, similar problems is only helpful at first (during the declarative learning process), and that they\u2019ll develop true mastery more easily by trying different kinds of exercises and practicing a little bit each day. You could then suggest a strategy for building procedural knowledge, such as working through just five exercises a day while consulting their notes as little as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: This strategy works because, neurologically speaking, procrastination is the result of a conflict between two parts of the brain<\/a>: the limbic system\u2019s emotional drive to avoid discomfort and the prefrontal cortex\u2019s rational drive to finish a task. When your students understand and address the feelings behind their procrastination, their limbic systems become less active\u2014in essence, their brains convince themselves that there\u2019s no real danger, and therefore no reason to keep avoiding the task. This allows the rational parts of their brains to take control and get the task done.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oakley, Rogowsky, and Sejnowski say that a healthy social environment is crucial for students to learn effectively. <\/strong>Without it, a hurt, scared, or overwhelmed child will be more concerned with feeling safe than with paying attention in class\u2014stressful situations trigger instinctive fight-or-flight responses that shut down rational thinking. Therefore, it\u2019s important to make sure that your classroom dynamics are supportive rather than competitive or judgmental. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Building a safe environment means sometimes being flexible with your rules and expectations. Individual students may have days when they\u2019re upset, overwhelmed, or struggling for some other reason. During those difficult times, your patience and understanding will help them far more than rigidly enforcing the rules<\/strong> (which would only put them under even more stress). For example, a child who\u2019s too upset to focus on their work will only become more <\/em>upset if you berate or punish them for their inattention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: While \u201cfight-or-flight\u201d is how people commonly describe instinctive self-defense mechanisms, there are other responses to the feeling of danger. In Complex PTSD<\/em><\/a>, psychotherapist Pete Walker identifies two more common responses<\/a>: freeze<\/em>, in which the person tries to avoid notice by doing nothing at all, and fawn<\/em>, wherein they try to stay safe by appeasing the people around them. This means that students who simply sit and do nothing might feel unsafe, and the same may be true of students who try too hard to please you. However, they show their discomfort, such students will benefit from reassurance that your classroom is a safe place<\/a> where they won\u2019t be hurt, insulted, or unfairly punished.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors also say that your role as a teacher includes guiding your students\u2019 social and emotional development. Young children in particular need to learn collaboration, conflict resolution, and communication skills.<\/strong> You can reinforce those skills by having students model various interactions with one another or work together on assignments\u2014this will help create a positive learning environment both in and out of your classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: What the authors describe here is known as social-emotional learning (SEL), and research supports the academic benefits of developing these skills<\/a>. For instance, a study from 2011 found that teaching students SEL skills like self-awareness, empathy, and emotional self-management raised their grades by an average of 11%. In the long run, SEL skills lead to greater success in the workplace, improved mental health, and stronger interpersonal relationships throughout a person\u2019s life.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to learn more about how to keep your students engaged, you can dive deeper by reading the full guides of the books mentioned in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you struggle to keep your students engaged in the classroom? Here are tips based on psychology from learning experts. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-books-learning"],"yoast_head":"\nTable of Contents<\/h2>
Using Working Memory to Engage Students<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Students Procrastinate and How to Help<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cultivating a Safe, Supportive Classroom<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Learn More About Engaging Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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