Engaging students is key to top-notch education in our fast-paced world. In a nutshell, student engagement is measured by how interested and involved students are in their learning and academic activities. When students are engaged they’re excited about learning, asking questions, acing assignments, and taking charge of their own learning. But wait, there’s more! Engaged students remember more, understand better, and connect learning to real life. By fostering a love of learning and helping students become self-directed learners, students are set up for success in all areas of life.

So, how can we make sure our students are engaged?

Start with creating a positive classroom environment where students participate and seek feedback. Students should feel safe and supported through classroom norms such as collaboration, structure, inclusiveness, and flexibility. With Kami, you can transform any material into a highly effective learning experience. Our powerful tools are designed to keep students engaged and eager to learn.

For example, a teacher could use the Comment tool to not only offer students audio and visual directions for classwork, but allow students the chance to react and respond to their work in a variety of ways to suit their personal preference. That opportunity for student autonomy is a key component in establishing an environment where students thrive. 

Making a connection

The foundation of engagement lies in establishing a connection. Forming a connection with a student requires time, forethought, and an ability to find commonalities. It may be as simple as chatting about a favorite sports team or movie, or as complex as shared frustrations that are preventing you from moving forward from a challenge.  When you create a bond with your students, their participation skyrockets. Say goodbye to bored students and hello to classroom fun!

Kami offers numerous ways to facilitate making connections, enabling you to drive greater student engagement effectively. Why not start with these great Meet the Teacher and All About Me templates at the start of the school year, or check in with students about their social emotional wellbeing any time with I Wish My Teacher Knew templates. 

Positive reinforcement

Utilizing positive reinforcement strategies, descriptive praise, and creating opportunities for students to connect and engage with one another are more great strategies for boosting student engagement. Positive reinforcements such as verbal praise for desired behavior, rewards and incentives to motivate students, and encouraging peer recognition for effort and growth allow students to feel seen and supported. Need more ideas for giving great feedback? Check out this tutorial video all about giving effective feedback from the Kami Academy.  

Creating opportunities for students to connect and converse with one another will foster a sense of belonging to a community and help encourage student engagement. With Kami’s Comment tools, teachers and students are able to create Text, Voice, Video, and even Screen-Capture Comments to easily give reinforcement and make suggestions.  Ice-breakers such as This or That and other activities that bring to light commonalities within the group are not only fun but easy to implement. Looking for a quick activity to try this out? An easy way to help students get engaged is to create a class contract for expected norms and expectations. 

Gamification

Why not boost student engagement and inject more fun into your classroom using games? Games are intrinsically engaging, generate community and fellowship, give students a chance to move around the classroom, talk with their peers, and have a less formal learning environment where they can focus on the love of learning rather than the rigor of a lesson plan. With our Kami Library templates, you can add excitement with over 30 game templates to use in class, such as Bingo, Chess, Chutes and Ladders, and more. These ready-to-go resources can be used for fast finishers and those rare moments of free time in class. You can also take your teaching to the next level and gamify your materials for maximum engagement! Add a YouTube digital die to a text comment, and create a student-led snippet of gamified fun! Your students will thank you for making learning an adventure.

Interactive learning 

Incorporating interactive tools and applications into your classrooms can help create a more immersive learning experience. Kami invites users to dive into their learning in a multitude of ways. Quickly create quizzes using Kami Questions, insert interactive and instructional videos with our Add Media tool, play games found in our Kami LIbrary, and level up projects and problem-based learning by utilizing the Kami features to explore, create, and design with your class content. 

Kami’s versatility and variety of tools allows all users to interact with Kami at their level of ability and need, which in turn boosts engagement for all. For more information about how to incorporate Kami into specific subjects, be sure to check out the Kami for Every Subject videos on Kami Academy. 

Active learning

Another great strategy to boost student engagement is to incorporate active learning strategies such as hands-on activities or problem-based learning experiences. Students want to get up and move or play with materials; it shakes up the school day. Problem-based learning experiences bring what they are learning into the real world. Students can see how the content applies to their real life, increasing student interest. 

Through collaborative learning such as interactive whiteboarding and small group stations, students can take control of their learning. Kami’s real-time features mean whiteboarding can happen anytime, anywhere. Students can contribute ideas instantly and simultaneously. Best of all, Kami levels the playing field. All students can contribute, even the quiet ones. Kami’s accessibility tools keep every student engaged by giving them what they need. Educators can present content in a range of ways including video, images, and text. Students can interact using the tools that work for them.

Personalized learning

Personalizing learning is another huge factor in student engagement. It allows your students to learn at their own pace and in a way that is tailored to their individual needs, interests, and learning styles. By understanding these preferences, teachers can create richer, more effective learning experiences that build on the needs and interests of their students. By using Kami’s control features teachers can customize the digital learning environment to the needs of their students. 

Personalized learning also involves providing students with opportunities to set their own learning goals, choose their own learning activities, and receive feedback that fits their individual needs. This approach can help students feel more motivated and invested in their learning, leading to greater success in school and beyond. 

Real-world relevance

When students can see that what they’re learning is useful in the real world and relevant to their future, they are naturally inclined to be more engaged. Teachers can leverage this knowledge to give students choices in assignments or project topics, as well as provide opportunities for them to work collaboratively or independently. With Kami’s easy to use Split and Merge tool, educators can quickly customize and combine resources with the click of a few buttons. Cut out content you don’t need, insert or rearrange pages for a better flow, or get creative by chopping and changing content to make something completely original. And it doesn’t just come in handy when dealing with huge textbooks or PDFs; you can mix and match any resource, image, slide, or file to fit the needs of your students.

Scaffolding

You can’t be engaged if a topic is too complex, right? Providing appropriate scaffolding is another way to keep students engaged. When students feel overwhelmed by a task, they may disengage. Teachers can help students stay on task by providing clear instructions, modeling how to complete the task, and offering support along the way with the help of Kami’s Comment tools. This is another great opportunity to tap into Kami’s Control Features and streamline the task to guide them toward success. Try doing some quick formative assessments like these Exit Tickets with students, and check out this Effective Feedback Video for even more ideas. 

Feedback

Last but not least, keep your students engaged and on track with feedback! Students need to understand how they’re doing to move forward. We’ve got you covered with tools like Annotation Bank and Grade by Page in Google Classroom. Want to take it to the next level? Book a Free Training with one of our Teacher Success Champions and learn more about these time-saving features! Plus, with Kami Library’s variety of templates for Goal Setting and Tracking Learning, your students can stay on top of their progress. And with Kami’s Comment tool, you can leave personalized feedback that will keep your students motivated and learning like champs!

Don’t let your students fall behind or drift out of engaged participation. Keep them interested, invested, and engaged in their learning! With engagement comes memory retention, critical thinking skills, and success in all areas of life. As educators, it’s our responsibility to prioritize student engagement and create an environment that fosters curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning. 

Use Kami to support the magic you do and keep your students excited, engaged, and empowered to love learning! Your students will thank you for it, and you’ll be setting them up for a bright and successful future.