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Hi Luis!

I am a 4th year elementary education major and have not experienced this in my own classroom yet. From what I have learned in previous classes, to maintain engagement throughout the school day, it is important to incorporate a variety of activities and teaching strategies. It would be beneficial to use hands-on experiments, group discussions, and interactive technology to keep students engaged. You can also incorporate movement breaks, brain breaks, and transitions to keep the energy level up. Additionally, you could incorporate student choice which builds their interests into the lessons.

Hi Luis, 

I am currently a 4th-year student working towards my elementary education degree. Throughout my time in college, I have had the opportunity to observe and teach in my different classrooms. The biggest thing that I have observed and done that helps keep the class engaged is the use of hands-on activities. Hands-on activities allow students to work together and students are able to learn through exploration. Another big thing is making sure that your lessons are engaging and that you are passionate about what you are teaching. 

Hi Luis! I'm Regina, a Junior at Mount St. Mary's University, and I haved worked at an elementary school as an assistant for the past two years. 

From what I have seen, the time is chunked and much more manageable than you would imagine. With designated lunch breaks, music, art, P.E., and transitional time, there are only about 5.5-6 hours you are solely teaching your students. With that time, it is important to break up the day even more.

Sectioning your subjects into whole group and small group time is a great start. Differentiating even further with partnered tasks, independent work tasks, and computer based learning tasks is also helpful to keep students engaged. Changing the order of these tasks and which ones you use throughout the day will also help keep students interested. It is important to note, however, that you do need to strike up a balance between routine and differentiated days. Students thrive on knowing what is a typical day for them, and what they are expected to achieve within that day. Keeping things fun with various learning tasks, while maintaining that daily schedule and subject block may be the best practice for your students. 

Overall, the best way to keep your class engaged is by getting to know them. Only you will know what tasks work for certain students and what doesn't for others. When breaks should be implemented throughout the workday, and when it is best to hunker down and complete a portion of the lesson. You will even start to notice which students need learning tools and environmental accommodations to help them stay engaged. With time, you will know what your students need, and make a routine that works best for your classroom.