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Fostering

Authentic Student Engagement

Father and Son

Student engagement has always mattered...now it matters even more.

What do we mean by authentic student engagement?

  • Logging on and...

    • asking questions

    • interacting with peers

    • actively participating

  • Turning in assignments that...

    • are complete

    • demonstrate effort & enthusiasm

  • Demonstrating social & emotional health.​

Grounding Assumptions

​

  • authentic student engagement leads to improved outcomes

​​

  • engaged and supported parents & caregivers are critical for authentic student engagement

​​

  • supported teachers are critical for authentic student engagement

Conducting Empathy Actions:

An important first step toward increasing authentic student engagement

EMPATHY ACTIONS

help us get into others' shoes and understand their lived experience. In this unusual year, understanding that experience is more critical than ever. 

 

We must listen, see, hear, and feel before we can create appropriate solutions leveraged for success. Without that full understanding, we may base decisions and solutions on faulty assumptions.

 

Each of the following activities is valuable for gaining insight. Regardless of which activities you choose, we suggest you start with this great video produced by EdWeek for the PBS NewsHour. Although it is about in-school learning, there are many valuable and transferable lessons.

Team Activity

This activity helped us think creatively about new ways to engage ALL of our students.

​

Assistant Principal

Individual Activity

I knew it, but I didn't really know...until I saw it.

Principal

Individual or

Team Activity

I had a visceral response to this exercise as I really considered the daily experience of a 6th grader.

Teacher

Empathy Actions
Curiosity & Drive
P1030399_edited.jpg

Curiosity & Drive

Allow one hour for this activity.

Curiosity for what the system values.

Driven to succeed in ways the system values.

How might we foster curiosity & drive

in each student?

[Intro/Stage Setting paragraph]

The Matrix

C & D snip.PNG

Curiosity & Drive is one of Tegy's signature activities. We have LOVED doing this over the years with hundreds of schools in our live sessions with flipchart sheets & sticky notes! 

 

Now, school teams can gain valuable insight utilizing our new digital versions. Use any or all versions below as many times as you wish. We suggest doing this exercise with multiple teams.

 

This exercise has also proven to be a great team builder!

Online Interactive Animated Tool
  1. Jump on a video call with your team.
  2. Have one team member click below to launch the tool, share their screen & note your team's responses.
Go to the animated tool
Google Slide Deck
  1. Make a copy of the slide deck below and share with your team.
  2. Jump on a video call with your team and do the activity!
Go to the Google slide deck
Powerpoint Slide Deck
  1. Download the slide deck below.
  2. Jump on a video call with your team.
  3. Share your screen & note your team's responses.
Download the Powerpoint deck

Shadow-a-Student/

Shadow-a-Teacher

"I knew, but I didn't know until I saw."

​

Whose experiences do you want to know more about?

  • student with special needs

  • gifted & talented student

  • student with multiple siblings

  • student with multiple caregiver environments throughout the week

  • student with internet connectivity issues

  • teacher with young children

  • teacher struggling with tech tools

  • teacher with low student attendance

  • teacher with exceptionally high student attendance

  • ????

​

  1. Select one or more types of students &/or teachers you want to learn more about.

  2. Identify one or more staff to shadow a person for a day or half day.

  3. Shadowers can use the Shadow-a-Stakeholder file xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  4. Shadowers can also upload a video recording from their phone or pictures/screenshots of the screen experience (no children's faces, please) into xxxxx. The more pictures and live reflections, the more others can also have a visceral experience from the sharing.

Shadow
Day in the Life

Day in the Life

Creating Personas that Help Tell your School Community's Story

Why do it?

To deliver insight and focus for developing better experiences for everyone in your school community.

​

How to do it.

  1. Identify one or more types of stakeholders you want to better understand.​

  2. Identify one or more members of your staff to complete this exercise.

  3. Using the Day in the Life file in xxx, do your best to describe this person & a day in their life. Be specific! 

  4. Then, interview one or more people in your community who fit this profile to fill in the gaps & give you a more full picture of their experience.

​

Potential personas:

  • student with special needs

  • gifted & talented student

  • student with multiple siblings

  • student with multiple caregiver environments throughout the week

  • student with internet connectivity issues

  • teacher with young children

  • teacher struggling with learning tech tools

  • new teacher

  • single parent

  • parent with multiple children at your school

  • parent with multiple children at different schools

  • friend or family caregiver

  • ????

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