Do my students participate or not?

You’re standing in front of a full lecture hall, and notice a student staring out of the window and daydreaming. You think to yourself: "This student is distracted and not interested in what I have to say." But what if this staring is actually a sign of deep contemplation about your subject material? Jan Willem Grijpma, PhD candidate and teacher trainer, says that what we often see as disinterest, can actually mean deep engagement. In his doctoral research on active learning, he demonstrates that student engagement can have subtle signals that are sometimes completely misinterpreted. Today Grijpma will share the skills and practical tips teachers need to recognize and encourage student engagement.

As a teacher trainer, he noticed that active learning often led to more satisfaction among teachers and better learning outcomes for students. Yet, this success was not the same everywhere: "Some groups remained passive despite the use of effective methods. These varying results piqued my curiosity. What exactly causes these significant differences among students? I wanted to deepen my knowledge to better support teachers in increasing student engagement."

Recognizing student engagement
Grijpma says it's important to look beyond just the visible behaviour of students because this is not always a good indicator of engagement: "A student who sighs deeply and stares out of the window may be deeply in thought about the subject material, while someone who seemingly pays attention may not actually be engaged. The same applies to a student who is busy with their mobile phone. Are they communicating with friends or looking up something substantive? It's the intention behind the behaviour that determines whether a student is engaged or not, and this intention is often difficult to assess as a teacher."

Grijpma's 3 practical tips:

1. Focus on changeable factors: we discovered that students often decide before a class to what extent they want to actively participate. Although not all factors influencing this decision are within the teacher's control, such as the time of the lesson. Some are, such as showing students the relevance of the study material. Focus on those changeable factors to get all of your students with an engaged attitude into the lecture hall.

2. Use the pattern we discovered: we saw that students who were encouraged to actively participate became increasingly engaged. On the other hand, students who dropped out became increasingly passive. So, observe students and encourage them at the right time. Use three possible approaches: thinking (ask stimulating and challenging questions), feeling (create a positive and safe atmosphere where students feel free to be themselves), and doing (for example, let them read a case study). These approaches allow for a positive development of participation and engagement that can be influenced at any time and in any lesson.

3. Ask open questions and use inviting interventions: it's difficult to accurately and objectively recognize your students' engagement level, because the same behaviour can have different meanings. Ask open questions to understand your students' intentions and stimulate their engagement. Avoid assumptions and be inviting in your responses to your students: "I see you staring out the window, what's on your mind?" or "I see you typing, what do you find important to write down?" This prevents students from feeling misunderstood, avoids a negative spiral, and helps them remain actively engaged.

What about lecture halls with 300 Students?
Grijpma also discovered during his research, partly conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, that students greatly missed personal contact. His findings show that students highly valued going to the university and small-scale education: "Small-scale education increases student engagement, promotes personal interaction, and provides a clear structure." But in large lecture halls, these benefits are naturally harder to realize, which can lead to less engagement and interaction.

Grijpma’s main tips for student engagement in large lecture halls:

As a teacher, experiment with interactive tools: use anonymous tools like Mentimeter or Kahoot to let students ask and answer questions without the fear of judgment. This can increase engagement and encourage students to participate more actively.
Work with small groups: divide the students into groups, let them collaborate and come up with answers together. This lowers the threshold to contribute and promotes collaboration and discussion.
Create a safe learning environment: make agreements about the learning environment. What do you expect from your students, and what can your students expect from you? Make contact with students and engage in appropriate self-disclosure by sharing personal experiences where relevant. Ensure regular interaction with your students, even if it's a large group. Get to know students by, for example, asking them questions, organizing walk-in consultations, or online discussion forums. This can help create a sense of community.
Reflective approach as a teacher: of course, adapt your teaching based on the context and needs of your students. Regularly reflect on what works and what doesn't, and be willing to change your approach.

The future of Active Learning
At VU Amsterdam, the motto is 'you do not become something, but someone'. Grijpma explains: "You do not become someone just by watching, listening, and reading. Meaningful development of students, requires them to actively engage with themselves, the study material, fellow students, and their teachers. Of course, I acknowledge that it takes effort to achieve student engagement. And I hope my dissertation contributes to this. I look forward to discussing how we can translate research into practice with teachers, policymakers, education management, teacher trainers, and other stakeholders."

Would you like to exchange thoughts on this? Contact j.w.grijpma@vu.nl, he is happy to think along with you.

"You do not become someone just by watching, listening, and reading. Meaningful development of students, requires them to actively engage with themselves, the study material, fellow students, and their teachers."

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Interview with Jan Willem Grijpma on recognizing and encouraging student engagement

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