Session 2- Engaged Learning

K: What I already KNOW.
Yet another pedagogical term.

It allows students to take responsibility & ownership of their own learning. In contrast to traditional teacher-centered learning where it's all chalk & talk, we can now expect higher invovlement & self-initiated thinking from most, if not ideally, ALL of the students. Hopefully, this will allow students to be more empowered in their pursuit of knowledge.

It usually takes a whole load of planning on the teacher's part, especially in the preparation of the resources, organization to the execution of the lessons. Hence, time may be a constraint in many schools.

The success of the lesson also largely depend on the various students profile, ranging from the different learning styles, motivation, attention span, co-operation etc.

L: What I have LEARNT.
Today's lesson is a fine example of how an Engaged-learning lesson plan may progressively unfolds. Students were kept on their toes all the time, acitivites ranges from individual work to that of collaboration. It allows opportunities for group-sharing as well as time for personal reflection.
In addition, dimensions & indicators of engaged learning were also introduced.

W: What I WANT to learn.
The various ICT strategies that may be employed. I would think that initiatives that can successfully leverage on students' interest may prove to be more effective in meeting the objectives. Perhaps online games that set off students on investigative tasks?

Q: What QUESTIONS I still have.
How do one gauge if students are actually engaged?

Seriously I think it's quite subjective. In any case, how are we to judge that the traditional one-way teaching methods are not sufficently engaging?
An important factor in engaged learning is that of the child's mental processes. I swear I was stressfully engaged between notes-scribbling, following the lectures & fear of being called upon by the teacher. (Of course, there are also times which I simply switch off as I master the art of goldfish sleeping.)