Two years ago, I was invited to deliver a course at a prestigious management school abroad. Though hesitant at first, I accepted the opportunity to do what turned out to be one of my most rewarding teaching experiences. I taught a group of students unlike any I had taught over the span of my long teaching experience in diverse settings and institutions.
The students portrayed an exceptional level of behavioral engagement. That surprised me since I was new to them and had not yet established social or emotional bonds with them. I could see them taking notes during the lessons, never asking me for my PowerPoint slides, a common request among other students I have taught. They worked efficiently on the in-class assignments and used their time efficiently. Assigned homework was always completed without me having to send them reminders. During class breaks, rather than socializing, many would open books and read until the class resumed, a behavior that I had not observed with other students elsewhere.
An interesting moment was after their one-day New Year’s holiday when I asked the class to share a new year’s resolution. To my surprise, several students expressed their intention to increase the number of books they would read in the coming year, reflecting a self-driven desire to learn.
Going back to my home institution, I found myself reflecting on this experience. In my setting, most teachers I work with grapple with the challenge of engaging their students in their learning; thus, they work hard on supporting their students and providing them with incentives to stay on tasks, contribute to their groups, and complete their assigned work. I know that many of those teachers design very good learning experiences and try to accommodate their students’ needs, yet they do not observe the engagement they hope for.
This contrast raised several questions:
- What are we missing as educators when it comes to student engagement?
- Are the challenges related to the curriculum, the school, or the larger context extending beyond the school to home and society?
- Have educators and parents been able to help students understand the bigger meaning behind their school experiences and tasks?
- Have we helped students make the connection between academic tasks and their reality?
- Has the system considered these aspects when designing the educational curricula?
Talking about relating learning experiences to real life brings to my attention how that group of young management students integrated their academic knowledge with their online profiles. Many connected with me on LinkedIn, where I read their reflections and insights from their studies. They report on activities they engage in related to their studies and reflect on what they encounter and experience. Though still in their early years of university studies, they express their ideas clearly and confidently. This early engagement with professional networking and self-presentation could indicate that they perceive their education as connected to their lives and future careers. Could this be a reason why they embrace schoolwork and engage with it willingly?
I end with an incident from my visit that reinforced my reflections. Toward the end of the semester, I asked the class for feedback on my teaching, as I usually do with every class I teach. One student advised me: “Next time you teach here, be tougher on students. We are used to working hard, and we can handle it.” I had never heard of anything similar from students in a different setting; on the contrary I have students who often request reduced workload and extended deadlines.
Reflecting on this experience, I believe the following can be considered as main takeaways for educators seeking to foster student engagement:
- Design meaningful learning experiences: The type of learning experiences we design for our students should relate to their realities and be meaningful and related to where the students see themselves later in life.
- Recognize the multifaceted nature of engagement: Student engagement is not necessarily the product of the teacher’s efforts but a myriad of aspects including the curriculum, perceptions, school and culture.
- Encourage student voice: Listening to the students’ voices provides us with a lot of tips on how we can improve the learning experiences for them and attend to what they think they need help with.
- Foster student accountability: There are ways to help students be accountable to their own actions and to behave responsibly towards their learning.
- Cultivate academic integrity: Academic integrity can be achieved effortlessly when students are interested in what they do and understand the positive impact of their learning on their lives.
This experience affirms that meaningful engagement requires more than just carefully designed lessons. It requires the students to be engaged in learning experiences that relate to their lives and that they understand this relationship. Additionally, a culture of accountability, integrity, and communication can enhance deep and meaningful learning for students.
Amal Farhat has experience in teaching and instructional coaching at K-12 schools and higher education. She has worked in the private and public sectors. Her interests mainly pertain to the development of professional learning communities through positive, constructive interactions among stakeholders of an institution. In higher education, she taught in the Faculty of Letters and Humanities and Faculty of Education. Additionally, she works as a teaching and learning specialist supporting faculty members with their teaching practices. Amal holds a PhD in education from the Doctoral Institute at Lebanese University, a counseling in pedagogy diploma from St. Joseph University, and is CAEL (Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership) certified from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
