The Best Student Engagement Strategies Explained - Individual Written Response

When it comes to teaching, there are really two secrets - relationship and engagement. When it comes to relationship, the recipe is very simple - care about the students and remember that "it is not about you." Student engagement, on the other hand, is much more challenging. In a series of student engagement articles, I will explore different "best practices" in student engagement.

I have written before about "Paired Response." Paired response, when used correctly in the classroom can really motivate your students to stay engaged. Paired Response, however, is not the only tool for student engagement in a teacher's toolbox. While many people think that student engagement revolves around group work or student interaction. In reality, a short constructed response or a quick written thought can be just as engaging and useful for helping information "stick" in student's minds.

What is it?

An individual written response is a quick write or short constructed response that students complete on their own to show their thinking around a teacher question or prompt. Everyone is writing their response at the same time, so everyone is accountable for their own thinking. It is important, during a short constructed response, to make sure that all students are writing. If a student s resistant, I have even been known to have a student copy off of a neighbor so they are at least writing. It is also important to not to allow students to have excuses; if a student doesn't have paper give it to them, and if they don't have a pencil supply it. When you use individual written response is not the time to teach compliance or "doing school," it is time to assess knowledge.

This written response component may stand alone, or it may be done as a precursor to an oral share with a partner or the whole group.

What does that look like?

With individual written response, students are given a few minutes to respond to a question in writing. They might write their answer on a white board and show the answer in unison when the teacher signals (as in group response), or they might write on a piece of paper and hand it in. In any case, the written response is a great way for the students to tap into their background knowledge.

It's also a way for the teacher to quickly see all students thinking and assess "Did the students "get" what I was trying to teach?"

If students are turning in their responses, teachers can quickly sort them into piles based on whether the student got it,is almost there, or needs a re-teach. If students are showing their responses in unison, the teacher should give immediate, specific feedback on the types of responses seen. This method of informal assessment is often far more relevant and immediate when used in a formative way than many summative assessments such as standardized tests.

What materials are needed?

There are a variety of materials to have on hand in order to keep written response fresh. These include white boards, half sheets of paper, sticky notes, or graphic organizers.

Keep these easily accessible and match the materials to your purpose (thinking about whether or not it needs to be turned in). If materials are handy, it will be much easier to incorporate pre-planned written response questions or to do written response "on-the-fly" as teachable moments arise.