Teacher's Engagement Toolkit Document

This document was created to provide ideas to educators on how to increase engagement for all students in a classroom when teaching them new concepts or skills, particularly conflict management skills and concepts. The document was created for the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management’s School Conflict Management Grant Training Program by Dr. Tony Menendez at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio.

Download a copy of the pdf file with 12 strategies for engaging all learners!
Teacher's Engagement Toolkit

In order to increase engaged time of the participants:

Expectations Count

Expectations should establish that participants:
1. Adhere to a schedule
2. Announce changes in advance
3. Have materials ready prior to transitions
4. Establish routines

Transitions
• Transitions constitute a major source of off‐task activities
• Transitions commonly involve changing classes or activities
• Transition activities commonly include sharpening pencils, talking, getting drinks (teachers should
plan these activities to occur at pre‐specified times)

How to Increase Engaged Time:

The Importance of Engaged Time:

• The link between time and learning is one of the most consistent findings in educational
research
• The productive use of time increases the likelihood that greater student learning will take place

Definitions:

• Allocated time‐‐‐amount of time for a topic
• Instructional time—amount of time of active teaching
• Engaged time (time on task)—portion of instructional time that students spend directly involved
in learning activities
• Engaged Time (three components)
1. Student is attending to material and task
2. Student is making appropriate motor responses
3. Student is asking for assistance in an acceptable manner
• Academic Learning Time—amount of time students are successful while engaged (combines
engagement and success)
• When students are successful they feel better about themselves and the material learned

Increasing Engaged Time:

• Give explicit and direct instructions
• Monitor progress
• Provide positive reinforcement
• Provide corrective feedback
• Reward students for completing tasks