How to recognize the illusion of engagement in the classroom for teachers

Student engagement. It's a term that's been thrown around a lot in the last decade, but let’s really breakdown what student engagement actually is. And more importantly, how can we move beyond the illusion of engagement to foster deeper thinking and learning?

Engagement, at its core, is about getting students interested and invested in what they're learning. It's about creating a sense of excitement and enthusiasm that motivates them to participate, ask questions, and explore new ideas. Engagement is a crucial ingredient in effective teaching, and it can take many forms: from hands-on activities and group projects to interactive technology and creative assignments.

But here's the catch: engagement alone is not enough. The article "Moving from Engagement to Deeper Thinking" by Erik M. Francis points out, there's a danger in focusing too much on fun student engagement as an end in itself.

There is a difference between authentic student engagement and the illusion of engagement. The illusion of engagement is when students appear to be engaged, but they are actually just participating in surface-level super fun activities that don't require much thinking or analysis. You know, the kind that admin take pictures of on social media because it looks great on camera and because they often don’t really know the difference. In reality, true student engagement involves deep thinking and reflection, challenging assumptions and expanding understanding and is harder to capture on camera or in small enough segments for social media reels.

Students may be having a grand time participating in these show stopping activities but they're not really thinking deeply or critically about the material. They're not making connections or asking questions that challenge their assumptions or expand their understanding.

So how do we move beyond the illusion of engagement and foster deeper thinking? Be sure to check out our next blog post.