Attitude+and+Student+Engagement

When you think of student engagement in an academic situation, learners that display a good or positive attitude are what I think most instructors base their initial teaching strategies on. Thinking this is based an idealistic belief not the reality of the actual classroom full of students in front of you. Post secondary instructors, I think, expect that the students in their classrooms are motivated to be there, either because of an intrinsic desire or an extrinsic goal or objective. Sometimes motivation and attitude appear as the same thing specially if it is good. “Many teachers find that if a student is highly motivated, most of the typical teaching and learning challenges disappear”. (Barkley, E., p. 81) However, reality is most often in direct opposition to what ideally is expected.

Have you ever had a classroom of somewhat bored, apathetic or uninterested learners? Or even students that have fallen asleep during your course. What about those students that are none of the above, but are over on the other end of the spectrum? Those students that are so obsessed with attaining the best marks, and are so “in the teacher’s face, constantly that their behaviour actually has the opposite effect to what they desire. How about those students that know everything and contradict everything you say? Have you ever had a student express to you that he’s not good at whatever subject you are teaching before the class has started? Nothing like starting on the right foot! These are all examples of attitude gone astray.

It’s a good thing that instructors have a variety of strategies to implement if and when a less than ideal situation presents itself. Instructors expect that their students expect to be a success in their classes, otherwise, why are they in the class, to fail? I wouldn’t think so. If a student comes into a class with the expectation that they will succeed, that is at least half the battle. Students who see the value of their education (either immediate or for future aspirations) generally have the attitude that spurs the motivation to do well.

Here’s to wishing everyone good luck in this PIDP 3250 Class when using those student engagement techniques that we have learned in this course!