FOUR WAYS ENGAGED LEARNING CAN CREATE MORE MEANING WITH CHILDREN! BY STEVEN ELL AIR ave you ever been teaching, and you look out to see a room full of children just staring back at you with glazed eyes? Maybe you’ve experienced sessions where children start twitching, get easily distracted, or maybe even become disruptive as you desperately try to cover the content and keep their attention. In these situations, it’s easy to come away wondering, what, if anything, the children took away from the lesson. Is there a better way? Yes! It’s called engaged learning, and it can completely change the experience of teacher and children alike! Engaged learning occurs when methods are used to encourage children to actively participate in the process of learning. In engaged learning, children interact creatively with the lesson goals, collaborate with each other, and demonstrate understanding through activities, discussions, and by applying learning to everyday life. Let’s dive in to discover four aspects of engaged learning and explore some tips for implementing this approach in our learning environments! ARTICLE 7 Subscribe today! smp.org/inspire