Student Engagement Starts with Connections

Student engagement is a key factor in effective education and can significantly impact a student's achievement, motivation, and overall learning experience. Engagement in the classroom refers to students' attention and participation during lessons. Building strong connections and an understanding of the students will help increase engagement in the classroom.

Submitted by: Jennifer Spector, Desert View Elementary School, Washington Elementary School District

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Reaching Resilience

Developing resilience in students means helping them build the ability to cope with challenges, adapt to difficult situations, and bounce back from setbacks. It fosters emotional strength, problem-solving skills, and a growth mindset that equips students to handle stress and persevere through adversity. Resilience is built from a foundation of safety through self-expression, skills, and self-efficacy.

Submitted by: Tori Anderson, Carl Hayden High School, Phoenix Union High School District

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Lead Out Loud

I co-sponsor a group on campus called, Lead Out Loud. We select students from 4th-6th grade that are leaders or have the potential to be leaders on our campus. The students collaborate on projects such as: Socktober (collecting and donating socks to a local homeless shelter), an interactive bulletin board where students can share positive messages with others, writing appreciation notes to teachers on Thankful Thursdays, working with our entire school and district leaders to use stipend money for school enhancements.

Submitted by: Jennifer Waddington, Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary, Queen Creek Unified School District

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What Would You Do?

Scenarios help students be proactive so they respond rather than react to conflict for improved self-management, responsible decision-making, and maintaining better relationships.

Submitted by: Michele Balsamo, The Traditional Academy at Bellair, Deer Valley Unified School District

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Circle Time

Circle Time is used to prevent interpersonal problems between students by building relationships.

Circle Time happens at the beginning of the day and involves every student and the teacher in being greeted by name and answering a question about themselves or a classmate.

Submitted by: Ashleigh Sudman, Scales Technology Academy, Tempe Elementary School District

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Visual Note Taking

Using visual note-taking is one way teachers can see what students understood from the lesson. Visual note-taking (or “doodle notes” as I call it) can be structured by the teacher or left open for students to draw what they hear and focus on during the lecture.

Submitted by: April Lesher, Mesquite High School, Gilbert, AZ.

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Using Kahoot for Fun, New Knowledge, and Review

Kahoot is a "game website" where you can use others content or create your own of ANYTHING. I have created vocabulary or content review sessions. There are also options that others have created around holidays, TV shows, literally every content area. Students enjoy it for the competitive piece that makes the learning more fun. The top three students get put on a podium and the more points you score before time is up drives the "game". You can do it as a whole class, or even assign it as an individual task. There are also options for collaborations and lesson embedding options.

Submitted by: Christina Salazar, Legend Springs Elementary School, Deer Valley Unified School District.

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Using Pear Deck for Teaching with Engagement Online

Pear Deck gives teachers the ability to create interactive lesson slides that allow for immediate feedback of student understanding as well as higher levels of engagement. Teachers can develop formative assessments using different tools such as short response, multiple choice, drawing, drag and drop, and more. Students are able to follow along with the lessons and answer questions to demonstrate their understanding, all in real time, which allows for engagement from students during class. Since each Pear Deck presentation is created by the teacher, the levels of difficulty and types of questions asked can all be based on the teacher's knowledge of the students within the class. Once the lesson is complete, students are able to access the slides at a later date if they choose in order to help revisit their learning or enhance it should they choose. This also gives the teacher reteaching opportunities for small and whole group should the need arise.

Submitted by: Amanda Porras, Winters' Well Elementary School, Saddle Mountain Unified School District

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Grounding Technique

A grounding technique is a method used to help individuals bring their focus back to what is currently happening to them or their environment at the moment. This grounding technique helps provide the individual with the opportunity to use their five senses to refocus. The technique can be applied virtually or in person and with any age group.

Submitted by: Cristina Hidalgo Holiday, Insight Academy of Arizona.

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