Engaging Sarah

Melinda Price
 Engaging Sarah
Practice Described:
Sarah is a fourteen year old, year eight student. She is in a mid range ability
class for English and Humanities. She exhibits a negative attitude during most
lessons and treats the integrated activities with disdain. Sarah does not cause
any major disruption to the class, she simply ignores everything that is
happening during the class. My first encounters with Sarah were while
observing her English and Humanities classes. As I observed the students in
the class and ‘roamed the room’ during set activities I found her to be
completely disengaged. She was chatting with her friends, brushing her hair, or
simply doing nothing. Each time I walked near her or spoke to her she would
look at me with derision. To my knowledge she did not complete any set task.
During my placement, I taught her class both English and Humanities and
found her negative attitude to be unchanged. I asked the class to complete
name cards that would be placed in front of students to assist me in the
learning of their names. While she did not refuse to complete the name card,
she simply did not do so. Activities I set for the class were largely ignored and
she sat through each class completing little or nothing. She remained hostile to
me whenever I approached her. I spoke to my mentor about her and was
advised that as long as she was not disrupting the class it was better to leave
her alone.
I completed my first two week block during which I attempted, unsuccessfully
to ‘break the ice’ with her. I felt that although I had had relative success with
the majority of the class I had had little or no success with Sarah.
During my second two week block I led Sarah’s English and Humanities classes
again, although a little less hostile, Sarah appeared to complete very little or
nothing during each lesson. I continued my efforts to develop a rapport with
her in the hope that I might discover an interest and slant a lesson in that
direction. At the end of the two weeks I had admitted defeat.
My final lesson with the class was an English lesson based on the novel Don’t
Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer. A colleague and I had developed a
series of quizzes and puzzles aimed at underpinning the student’s knowledge
of the novel. After consultation with my mentor, it was decided to run the
lesson as a competition with the extrinsic motivation of awarding prizes for
completing the puzzles.

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As the students commenced their first task I noticed that Sarah had gone to
the table and had chosen the most difficult puzzle. It was a word scramble,
which when solved would reveal a passage from the novel. The students were
then to find the passage and note the page number on the bottom of the
puzzle sheet. Before long she attracted my attention and told me she was
unable to solve the puzzle. I decided that this could be my moment.
Tentatively, I assisted her to work out the puzzle code, a simple two letter
swap, eg. edicedd (ed)(ic)(ed)d – decided. She smiled at me and thanked me!!!
I smiled back and told her if she had any more trouble just to call me. Sarah
remained engaged and went on to complete all the puzzles. She did not exhibit
any negative behaviour for the whole 100 minute lesson. As she was leaving
she told me she had enjoyed the lesson and smiled at me again. All of the class
were engaged in the lesson that day and no one caused any difficulties,
however getting through to Sarah and having her work with me was, for me,
the high point of the lesson and possibly the block.

Questions raised: How do you engage students like Sarah with their
learning?
Should extrinsic motivation be used to encourage student’s
participation?
How do you ensure all lessons are relevant for the students in
your classes?
How does E5 connect the preparation and delivery of lessons
to disengaged students?

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Practice Explained:
Intrinsic/Extrinsic motivation
Young adolescent students (Years 5 to 8) make distinctions between what is
liked and what is important. Not all learning activities are novel and there are
many that students do not readily see as either interesting or intrinsically
important. Many curriculum activities are completed because of external
encouragement or instruction. External rewards or incentives are introduced to
promote task engagement and learning is often externally regulated. (Ainley &
Reeve 2004)
According to Ainley and Reeve (2004) students in their middle years of
schooling are less intrinsically motivated to learn than younger students. For
adolescents, social factors have taken over from academic motivation.
Students are more likely to display interest in their learning if their peers are
also displaying these characteristics. For students less engaged with their
learning, extrinsic motivation may encourage them to actively participate in
activities and thereby achieve required learning outcomes. By providing
extrinsic motivation on a spasmodic basis together with other motivational
practices students are encouraged to participate and engage with their
learning.

Engagement/Disengagement
Disengagement is evident when students are bored or make little effort.
Students, who are academically disengaged may day-dream or even sleep in
class, talk to peers about non-class matters, make a noise or otherwise disrupt
the class. (Ed. Qld. 2002)
At times the regular learning activities within the classroom fail to engage
adolescent student’s curiosity and interest. According to Cole et.al. (2006) ‘the
motivation and engagement of students should be the core objective of a
successful teaching and learning model.’ In order to cater for students intra-
personal learning preferences some form of student directed activity should be
considered when planning units. Activities should be structured to pique the
interest of the students and where possible students should be involved in
choices about curriculum tasks and assessment (Ainley & Reeve 2004).
Students who are involved in the planning of an activity are more likely to claim
ownership of the activity and actively participate and lessons that benefit from
this form of inclusive planning.

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Relevance
For adolescent students ‘task value’ is very important. They do not wish to
spend their time on information they do not feel is relevant to their lives. It is
therefore of utmost importance for the teacher to ensure the content of their
lessons has significance to the students. Most students must have a motivation
to drive their learning. Constructivist learning theorist Brent Wilson (1996)
suggests that ‘individual learning activities can be of any type – the important
issue is that the learner clearly perceives and accepts the relevance of the
specific learning activities.’

E5
Constructivist teaching and the E5 Instructional Model make a perfect
partnership. The model may be used by both teachers and students when
planning and completing tasks. Encouraging students to use the model through
project based enquiry learning forms the basis of inclusive learning and
teaching pedagogy. The chart in appendix 1 provides examples of the ways in
which teachers and students may engage with the E5 model to build a
successful learning partnership. See Appendix 1 for Teacher Student Interaction
with E5.

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Practice Theorised:
Although there are two schools of thought on extrinsic motivation, I feel that on
occasion the inclusion of extrinsic motivation provides an incentive for
disengaged students to participate in an activity they may otherwise choose to
ignore.
Inclusivity when planning and delivering lessons will encourage student’s
ownership of their learning and increase their participation in classes.
Relevance of the material is of prime importance in order for students to
engage with the content and to maintain their interest in complex units of
study.
The use of the E5 Instructional Model both in planning and delivery of units and
lessons should be an integral part of educational practice and pedagogy.

Practice Changed:
Sarah exhibits intra-personal learning characteristics. My future practice with
students like Sarah will be to ensure that I make a concerted effort to engage
with these students on a level comfortable to them in order to ensure a positive
experience for both of us. It is obvious that ignoring students like Sarah
provides a counter-productive experience for both the student and the teacher.
I will ensure that planned lessons are inclusive and relevant to all students and
that, wherever possible, students have input into the planning and delivery of
the units of study. The use of the E5 Instructional Model both in planning and
delivery of units and lessons will be an integrated part of my pedagogy.

Technology:
Although the delivery of this assignment electronically has caused me a certain
amount of angst, the creation of an E-Book has been both challenging and
enjoyable. Video tutorials and the availability of user-friendly software have had
a considerable impact on my renewed enthusiasm for the task. I have
benefited from the experience and now have the knowledge to publish further
pieces as E-books should the occasion arise.

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Appendix 1.
Teacher and Student Behaviours Within the E5 Model
E5 Suggested Activity What the Teacher Does What the Student Does
Engage Demonstration Creates interest. Asks questions such as, Why did
this happen? What do I already
Reading Generates curiosity. know about this? What can I found
Free Write Raises questions. out about this?

Analyse a Graphic Organizer Elicits responses that uncover what the Shows interest in the topic.
students know or think about the
KWL concept/topic
Brainstorming

Explore Perform an Investigation Encourages the students to work Thinks freely but within the limits of
together without direct instruction from the activity.
Read Authentic Resources to Collect the teacher.
Information Tests predictions and hypotheses.
Observes and listens to the students as
Solve a Problem they interact. Forms new predictions and
hypotheses.
Construct a Model Asks probing questions to redirect the
students’ investigations when Tries alternatives and discusses
necessary. them with others.

Provides time for students to puzzle Records observations and ideas.

through problems. Suspends judgement.

Explain Student Analysis & Explanation Encourages the students to explain Explains possible solutions or
concepts and definitions in their own answers to others.
Supporting Ideas with Evidence words.
Listens officially to others’
Structured Questioning Asks for justification (evidence) and explanations.
clarification from students.
Reading and Discussion Questions others’ explanations.
Formally provides definitions,
Teacher Explanation explanations, and new labels. Listens to and tries to comprehend
explanations the teacher offers.
Thinking Skill Activities: compare, Uses students’ previous experiences as
basis for explaining concepts. Refers to previous activities.
classify, error analysis
Uses recorded observations in
explanations.

Extend Problem Solving Expects the students to use formal Applies new labels, definitions,
labels, definitions, and explanations explanations, and skills in new, but
Decision Making provided previously. similar situations.
Experimental Inquiry Encourages the students to apply or Uses previous information to ask
Think Skill Activities: compare, extend the concepts and skills in new questions, propose solutions, make
situations. decisions, and design experiments.
classify, apply
Reminds the students of alternative Draws reasonable conclusions from
explanations. evidence.
Refers the students to existing data and Records observations and
evidence and asks, What do you explanations.
already know? Why do you think…?
Checks for understandings among
Strategies from Explore apply here
also. peers.

Evaluate Any of the Above Observes the students as they apply Answers open-ended questions by
new concepts and skills. using observations, evidence, and
Develop a Scoring Tool or Rubric previously accepted explanations.
Assesses students’ knowledge and/or
Test skills. Demonstrates an understanding or
Performance Assessment knowledge of the concept or skill.
Looks for evidence that the students
Produce a Product have changed their thinking or Evaluates his or her own progress
behaviors. and knowledge.
Journal Entry
Allows students to assess their own Asks related questions that would
Portfolio learning and group-process skills.
encourage future investigations.
Asks open-ended questions, such as:
Why do you think…? What evidence do

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you have? What do you know about x?

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