The Art and Science of Teaching
by Robert Marzano
Chapter 5 – What will I do to
engage students?
What Do You Do To Engage Your
Students?
• to get them to participate; to keep them on
task; to keep them attending to the
instructional activities occurring in class
• Research findings in
four studies cited
show achievement
percentile gains of
from 27 to 31 percent
if you can keep
students engaged.
Five Areas to Consider to
Increase Student Engagement
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High Energy
Missing Information
The Self-System
Mild Pressure
Mild Controversy and Competition
High Energy
• To have students
paying attention
requires them to have
a certain energy level.
• One way to enhance
blood flow and
oxygen transported to
the brain is with
movement – physical
activity.
High Energy
• Slow transitions provide
no stimulus to capture
students’ attention. Use
effective transitions that
allow students to quickly
respond to signals that
have been taught and
practiced.
• Teacher enthusiasm
affects students’ energy
levels and engagement.
Animated behavior
arouses the attending
behavior of students.
Missing Information As A Stimulus
• Curiosity and
Anticipation are know
as “appetitive” states
because they
stimulate the mental
appetite – Jensen
• Games and Puzzles
stimulate the human
appetite.
Missing Information
• Clozentropy – a psychological principal –
human beings tend to fill in the blanks when
presented with incomplete information.
• Gretel went with her brother ________ to see if
the _________ was in her cottage.
• Contributing factors to the Great Depression
included stock purchases made on ______,
corporations and individuals becoming
____________, and high _____________.
The Self as a Stimulus for
Engagement
• The “Me” Self –
specific to situations –
my idea that I can or
can’t do well in math.
• The “I” Self – the
things we find
personally interesting
and valuable
Mild Pressure as a Stimulus for
Engagement
• Mild pressure forces attention
on the source of the pressure.
If the pressure becomes too
prolonged, the thinking and
learning are inhibited.
• Questioning – Students have
to realize there is a moderate
chance of being called on.
Increase the rate at which
students respond increases
achievement (Good + Brophy
2003)
• Wait Time focuses students’
attention (Aitwood + Wilken
1991)
Mild Controversy as a Stimulus for
Engagement
• Structured debate
• Eliciting divergent
opinions on an issue
and inviting students
to resolve their
discrepancies through
sustained discussion.
Competition as a Stimulus for
Engagement
• The opportunity to
compete can add
excitement to
classroom activities.
• Individual and group
competitions can be
effective
Action Steps
• Games stimulate
attention because
they involve missing
information.
• Focus the content of
the games on
academic content so
that they represent a
form of review.
Other Games
• Name That Category
– ($100,000 Pyramid)
list words in a
category until the
teammate correctly
identify the category
name. Example:
water, soda, milk, tea,
coffee…
Talk a Mile a Minute
• A team member is
chosen to look at a list of
terms in a category and
say as many things as
they can about the items
but can’t use any words
on the list or rhyming
words. The game
continues until
teammates identify all the
terms in the category.
Classroom Feud
• One Team of students
take turns each giving
an answer. Correct
answers are worth a
point. If a team gets
three strikes the other
team has a chance to
steal the points that
remain in a category.
Response Cards
• Each student gets a small
whiteboard or other
writing material on which
to respond to a series of
questions asked by the
teacher. Students hold up
their response to each
question on the teacher’s
signal. True/False,
Multiple Choice, Fill in the
Blank formats all work
well.
Use Physical Movement
• Stand and Stretch
• Body Representations –
example briefly represent
the size of angles or the
radius and diameter of a
circle.
• Brain Gym – crossing the
body’s midline activities
or relaxation exercises.
• Simon Sez – follow the
directions only when
Simon Sez precedes
Give One Get One
• Students walk around
the classroom to get a
specific number of
answers from others
and also share their
answers. They are
only allowed to give
and take one answer
from each person.
Vote With Your Feet
• The teacher posts
signs (A,B,C, D) in
different corners of
the room. Students
move to the corner
where they believe
the correct answer is.
The teacher can call
on a student to
explain for a bonus
point.
Demonstrate Intensity and
Enthusiasm for Content
• An intense presentation will
begin with a direct statement of
the importance of the
message. “I am going to show
you how to invert fractions –
now pay close attention and
make sure you understand
these procedures. Then use a
slow paced, step-by-step
presentation during which key
words are emphasized and
exaggerate gestures that focus
attention on key terms and
steps. Scan the room after
each step for signs of
understanding or confusion.
Provide Unusual Information
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•
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Unusual Information is a form of
missing information and tend to
capture students attention. Try to
find some interesting facts that
you can relate to a unit of
instruction.
Earth is the only planet not named
after a
pagan god.
Take your height and divide by
eight and that’s how tall your
head is.
Thirty-one percent of employees
skip
lunch entirely.
The first product to have a bar
code was
Wrigley’s gum.
Try Some Unusual Facts
• Acupuncture was first used as a medical treatment in
• 2700 BC by Chinese emperor Shen-Nung.
• Armored knights raised their visors to identify
themselves when they rode past their king. This custom
has become the
• modern military salute.
• In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage for
girls - to
• 12.
• President Lincoln proclaimed the first national
Thanksgiving Day in
• 1863.
Summary – What Will I Do to Engage
Students?
• Stimulate students on-task behavior via:
High
energy
Missing
information
The Self
System
Mild P
ressure
Mild Con
troversy
Com
petition
Promote Physical
Movement
Challenge Students’
Thinking