How do we move towards action?
Sahlberg (2025) referencing PISA, shared that positive student/teacher relationships can result in emotional engagement and in substantive learning gains. Australian research indicates that a component of engagement is linked to well-being, belonging, and positive teacher/student relationships. For students in elementary or primary schools, the academic and social-emotional gains from engagement continue through to high school (Stevens, Cronley, Eckert, Kidd, Liondos, Newall, Piikgton, Rekic & Ructtinger, 2018). Engaged students are more likely to graduate high school, even achieving higher results on PISA scores (PISA 2024).
There are several factors influencing student engagement in their learning.
· student interest in learning;
· student involvement in learning;
· student (active) participation in learning;
· student cognitive challenges in learning;
· student-centredness – student involvement in the design, delivery and assessment of their learning. (Eccles, 2016; PISA, 2024; Trowler, 2010)
It should be acknowledged that many schools/classrooms are more diverse and this requires us to re-think teaching and learning. Diverse learners require diverse, responsive, relevant, respectful approaches and curriculum (Fredricks, Reschly & Christenson, 2019; Stevens et. al, 2018). Learners will not be engaged if they don’t see themselves reflected in the curriculum. Questions and tasks should lead students to discourse and discovery. It is important for educators to clarify the learning intentions/goals and co-construct the success criteria so that students can be involved in and learn skills for self and peer feedback. Teachers should not be the sole arbiters of assessment (Allen, Kern, Vella-Brodrick, Hattie & Waters, 2018; Stephanyan, Mather, Jones & Lusuardi, 2009). In these ways, students are not simply participating in their learning but are investing and likely to be more engaged.
Dolan (2025) references an interesting study from Norway, suggesting that intentionally building space and activities for young men focused on ‘I believe’ statements and building self-efficacy increased well-being and engagement [i]. Students who see themselves as successful learners and have a sense of their own self-efficacy are more engaged and likely to be committed to their learning (Stiggins, 2024). Engagement can be gendered, with young men appearing disconnected than their female peers (Berry, 2022; Dolan, 2025; Stevens et. al, 2018).
Interdependent tasks where students are required to collectively form opinions and explain their understanding and reasoning, to interpret and discuss their perspectives or to apply new knowledge can boost engagement because these tasks draw them into the learning (Holcombe & Wozniak, 2024; Stanford, 2024). Strategies such as think-pair-share and triads that explain their reasoning to other triads boost engagement and give students opportunities to hear and participate in different ways to get to possible solutions. Collaborative, interactive tasks activate global and transferable learning as advocated by OECD and CMEC [ii].
In keeping with universal design, students should be able to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways, if they have choice, they have voice. They can collaborate on presentations, podcasts, journal articles, videos, an app, debates or other ways of demonstrating learning. This honours diversity and equity and recognizes voice and choice. This is an assets-based approach to learning by promoting emotional engagement (Fredricks, Reschly & Christenson, 2019; Hopson, Tao & Elez, 2024; PISA, 2024).
Trusted relationships and learning that is engaging can draw them back and accelerate their learning. Students participate, invest, set goals and build self-efficacy (Berry, 2022; Reeves, Fisher & Frey, 2024). These actions form components of behavioural engagement (Berry, 2022). It is important to build relationships with students and take the time to engage with them. Anxiety can be another factor in disengagement (Minahan, Ward, Jacobsen, 2021; Stiggins, 2024). The authors reference that when anxiety increases working memory, self-regulation and other executive functioning skills decrease. In the article, they offer concrete strategies to lessen the anxiety and increase engagement:
· pausing activities for transitions or checking for understanding,
· use visual cues or a physical activity to transition or refocus,
· involve the students in co-creating indicators or successful completion and the steps that need to be taken,
· student cognitive challenges in learning;
· build and reinforce skills.
Can technology help?
Digital literacy offers tools to engage students. Technology can be applied to support collaboration, communication, creation and critical thinking. This can reinforce previous understandings and expand conceptual thinking (PISA 2024). Holcombe and Wozniak (2024) advocate using AI to increase engagement and active learning, and more about this in next month’s article. Some of their suggestions include:
· utilizing Gen AI tools like ChatGPT,
· create case studies that are relevant,
· gamify learning,
· encourage students to use a variety of ways to demonstrate their understanding and learning using choice boards.
These approaches are even more relevant for mathematics, which traditionally has had lower student engagement. If you can explain/teach a concept to others, that concept will likely become more embedded and easier to retrieve [iii]. Countries and economies that score the highest on the index of proactive mathematics study behaviour are also those, in which more students demonstrate engaged behaviours. These include students that frequently participate in group discussions, start their assignments right away and, most importantly for lifelong learning, try to connect new material to what they had learned in previous mathematics lessons so students could make meaningful connections as part of a commitment to life-long learning (PISA, 2024: 64-74). These issues were raised as part of the Knowledgehook’s webinar on the 2022 discussion of OECD’s Survey of Social Emotional Skills, OECD Survey of Social and Emotional Skills.
Knowledgehook has some excellent relevant activities that serve as knowledge probes to draw students into the learning and help with comprehension.
Many students can be motivated by interacting with content on a digital platform. When selected by the teacher, these activities are relevant and complementary to classroom instruction, serving as knowledge probes to draw students into the learning and to help with comprehension.
How do we support teachers?
Most students can experience engagement. Leaders need to engage and build the professional capacity of their faculty. Similar to Reeves, Fisher & Frey (2023); Goodwin and Hubbell (2013) proposed that effective teachers focus on three pedagogical components to engage students:
· they articulate and maintain high expectations for learning (they are demanding),
· they know why they’re doing what they’re doing (they are intentional), and
· they provide a nurturing learning environment (they are supportive).
Some educators are gifted in engaging students. Most have not had the professional and/or pedagogical opportunities to reflect on engagement vs. active compliance. Educators need support and resources, pedagogical and professional learning (Allen, Kern, Vella-Brodrick, Hattie & Waters, 2018). It is also important to schedule time to collaborate and reflect in collaborative communities of inquiry (Sharratt, 2019). Increasing student engagement takes time. It can be monitored through student and teacher surveys, as well as other evidenced measures of student outcomes. Effective school/system learning leaders engage their teams. What applies to students also applies to adults, since we are all part of institutions of learning. This was an ongoing theme in Knowledgehook’s 2025 session on advocating and supporting SEL in a chaotic world, Lobbying for SEL in a Chaotic World.
Increasing monitoring and support for student engagement is important, especially in this post-COVID environment. Educators need to collectively investigate and intentionally implement strategies, policies and actions to boost engagement and develop a commitment to lifelong learning. Next month we will explore how AI and Technology can both assist and hinder the learning journey. To keep current and informed - stay tuned to Signature Leadership by Knowledgehook.
References
Allen, K., Kern, M. L., Vella-Brodrick, D., Hattie, J., & Waters, L. (2018). What schools need to know about fostering school belonging: a meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(1), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-016-9389-8.
Berry, A. (2022). Reimagining Student Engagement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Christenson, S. L., Reschly, A. L., & Wylie, C. (Eds.). (2012). Handbook of research on student engagement. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7.
Dolan, E. (2025). Brief intervention boosts grit in teenage boys, Social Psychology, [1] https://www.psypost.org/brief-intervention-boosts-grit-in-teenage-boys-study-finds/?utm_source=PsyPost+Newsletter&utm_campaign=07280f3c1c-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a44dd6ef29-07280f3c1c-127529206.
Eccles, J. S. (2016). Engagement: Where to next? Learning and Instruction, 43, 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.02.003.
Fredricks, J. A., Reschly, A. L., & Christenson, S. L. (Eds.). (2019). Handbook of student engagement interventions: working with disengaged students. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2016-0-04519-9.
Hargreaves, A. (2025). Keynote speech at 2025 Annual ICSEI Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
Holcombe, A. & Wozniak, S. (2024). Using AI to fuel engagement and active learning. Education Leadership, Summer Edition: ASCD, https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/using-ai-to-fuel-engagement-and-active-learning
Hopson, R., Tao, Y. & Elez, V. (2024). Outside the Box: Canadian results of the OECD PISA 2022 study. Canadian Ministers of Education, Canada, https://cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/444/PISA_2022_Creative_Thinking_Report_Dec_09_2024_Final_EN.pdf.
Minahan, J., Ward, S., & Jacobsen, K. (2021). What can teachers do to engage anxious students? Educational Leadership, ASCD, https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/what-can-teachers-do-to-engage-anxious-students
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2023). Language: Grades 1-8, Toronto: ON, Queens Park Press,
PISA (2024). PISA 2022 Results: Learning Strategies and Attitudes for Life, Volume 5. OECD.
Reeve, J., Cheon, S. H., & Jang, H. (2020). How and why students make academic progress: reconceptualizing the student engagement construct to increase its explanatory power. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 62, 101899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101899.
Reeves, D., Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2023). Confronting the crisis of engagement: Creating focus and resilience for students, staff and community. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Sahlberg, P. (2025). Keynote speech at 2025 Annual ICSEI Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
Sharratt, L. (2019). Clarity: What matters most in learning, teaching and leading. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Stepanyan, K., Mather, R. Jones, H. & Lusuardi, C. (2009). Student engagement with peer assessment: A review of pedagogical design and technologies. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 367-375, doi: 10. 1007/978-3-642-03426-8_44.
Stevens, R., Cronley, T. Eckert, A., Kidd, M., Liondos, N., Newall, G., Pilkington, M., Rekic, B., & Ructtinger, L. (2018). Cultivating student engagement – Part 1. Scan 37(9), https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/media/documents/vol-37/Scan_2018_37-9.pdf
Stiggins, R. J. (2024). Giving our students the gift of confidence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Trowler, V. (2010). Student engagement literature review. The Higher Education Academy, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322342119_Student_Engagement_Literature_Review
Endnotes
[i] Brief intervention boosts grit in teenage boys, study finds - PsyPost
[ii] The Performance of Canadian 15-Year-Olds in Creative Thinking - Outside the Box: Canadian Resultsof the OECD PISA 2022 Study
[iii] Integrating AI into assignments - Stanford University
