Still in Ethics Day 2- ask students to write in the margin of their notebook: 2-3 critical things from the notes taken in class today. Review those on an ongoing basis. This is a reflective tool that can be used to reach their goal of engagement!

Starting my Blauvelt Blog today...
I am at Day 2 of the Ethics Institute, Introductory Strand.
We wrote an Enduring Understanding and Essential Questions using Backwards Design which I have not practiced actively for a while.

Here is my start at one- help from Karen made me see that I wanted to use the word engagement rather than focus...

Students will understand that…

Engagement increases a student’s knowledge and enhances the experience of all students in the class.

---- How am I going to engage with my learning?

How does it feel (describe) when you are fully immersed/engaged in an activity?

Why is it important to be engaged in class?

How does one student who is not engaged affect another?

How do you teach this the first time?

I'm thinking of putting it into the WELCOME sheet –

First day activity could be to answer the first question- could write on an index card or Moodle journal– this would also serve as a get-to-know-you ( gives you a window into what interests the student has, how they engage with things they like, etc) 

(see first-day activity)

The question: how am I going to engage with my learning? can be applied in all contexts... when reviewing for an assessment, when entering the lab, when solving problems in small groups in class. This can hopefully be a natural question to ask over time so students don't roll their eyes at the question.