Earning Respect: Student Engagement

Melissa Edmond, PharmD

PGY1 Pharmacy Resident

Holy Cross Hospital

          Student engagement is a major factor in teaching learners. Helping them to understand concepts and skills can only be achieved once you earn not only the attention of the learner, but their engagement as well. When learners can engage in a course they can not just understand material but also develop their own ideas and concepts leading them to become critical thinkers in a discussion. These ideas are guided by principles that encourage the initiation of critical thinking by way of balanced discussion instead of controlling the discussion (Tartaglia BCC, Dodd-McCue, Horrocks , & Faulkner , 2009). While it can be assumed that students are here to learn and gain great knowledge, that is just simply not always the case. With all the things going on in a learner’s world, it can be hard to give your full attention and energy to an instructor, especially an instructor who is not actively trying to engage students. We simply cannot ignore the fact that students respond to different strategies of teaching. The usual lecturing as an oral essay and evaluation through standard examination is a difficult way to earn engagement from students. While some students can ask questions during lecture, it is hard to grab the full attention and interaction from all.

          According to Phillip Schlechty, students exhibit three specific characteristics during engagement. These include being attracted to their work, persisting despite challenges, and showing pleasure in accomplishments of work (Schlecty, 1994). Understanding what this looks like inside and outside of the classroom is important for creating the right environment for students to engage with each other and instructors. Based on the SCORE model, there are four goals that drive and motivate the engaged learner. These goals include success, curiosity, originality, and relationships (Strong, Silver, & Robinson, 1995). These goals for motivation give students the energy to stay engaged. If we can find ways to motivate the learner through the things they hold most important, we can improve interaction and meaningful discussion throughout the course. This will then allow students the opportunity to gain more knowledge and skills from the course. Pharmacy educators can work on improving engagement by initiating group discussions to promote relationships and team building. Also, allowing open-ended assignments where learners have the option to choose the topic of their interest can also increase student engagement.  

          Once learners understand they can achieve one or several of these goals, they build the motivation to actively learn and engage with one another. It is important to not only make sure these goals are known to students, but to also create an environment where it can be achieved. A learning environment where there is only one right answer and not much room for discussion does not allow learners to be motivated for success or building curiosity. Creating the ideal learning environment for student engagement starts with adopting the student-centered approach to learning (TEACH, n.d.). Allowing the students to have an active role in the course motivates them to become more involved and engaged. Key factors to creating an engaged environment include making it meaningful, promoting collaborative learning, and initiating positive student-teacher relationships (Nicolas Pino-James, 2015). There are also some cases where game-based learning can be implemented. Allowing students to work as a team and solve problems together can encourage engagement and even excitement (TEACH, n.d.).

          As an instructor, teaching can be become a difficult task. This is especially true when students are not engaged and invested into the material. However, creating the ideal environment for students to become engaged can be extremely rewarding to both the learner and the instructor. Having students that are invested in their learning and the course will improve the rate of success for the students and the course. Making the material meaningful, initiating a collaborative environment, and even presenting games into the course for interactive discussion are all ways to not only gain the student’s engagement but their respect as well.

References

Nicolas Pino-James, P. (2015, December 11). Golden Rules for Engaging Students in Learning Activities . Retrieved from Edutopia : https://www.edutopia.org/blog/golden-rules-for-engaging-students-nicolas-pino-james

Schlecty, P. (1994, January). Increasing Student Engagement . Missouri Leadership Academy.

Strong, R., Silver, H. F., & Robinson, A. (1995). Strengthening Student Engagement: What Do Students Want . Educational Leadership , 8-12.

Tartaglia BCC, A., Dodd-McCue, D., Horrocks , B., & Faulkner , K. (2009). Enhancing Student Engagement and Critical Thinking During Hospital Orientation for Level 1 CPE Students . E-Journal of the Association of Professional Chaplains.

TEACH. (n.d.). Teaching Methods . Retrieved from Teach: https://teach.com/what/teachers-know/teaching-methods/