I think that this definitely good advice. However, I question what the authors define as "small steps." Would it be one intervention a week, a day, a month and would they recommend that only one teacher attempt this at a time for a group of students?

In middle school, we would often study for tests by playing Jeopardy or trivia using the topic(s) that the test would be on. I always found this to be a great way to study!

I agree with this. However, the connection is often not made. Many times students (K-12, secondary education, and adults) are told that they need to learn a topic "because." This is frustrating and often has the opposite effect that the instructors were going for. I think that more effort needs to be made by instructors to show relevance. Also, I think that students need to put more effort into finding the relevance when learning.

Not only would this reduce attention deficits, I think this would also reduce anxiety and allow students to shine more.

This is an important learning tool that can be applied to the workplace. In order to be effective and learn the job, a worker needs to know, remember, and understand the terminology used in the job. By reinforcing this learning structure in school, people can apply it to the workplace (or to hobbies) later in life.

I think that motivational engagement is something that deeply affects adult learners more than most like to admit. Often times, learning is presented to adult learners as something that has to be done because "the company says so." I see this on a routine basis. As a result, when I present training to my team, I try to connect the learning to them personally.

This cycle is similar to ADDIE as well as the nursing process. If there is little to no change, you need to re-evaluate the diagnosis (problem) as well as the interventions you implemented.

I like the fact that they point out that student characteristics need to be considered in this step. Also, the situational settings also need to be considered. The strategies used in a small classroom in a rural setting would probably not be effective in a urban classroom setting even if the classroom size was the same.

I cannot imagine defining "engagement" using only one dimension, such as cognitive.

I would think that a holistic approach would be common sense. We have understand in healthcare for decades how mental, physical, and emotional health are connected and that a change in one of these will cause a change in the other facets. A child is not able to learn if they are hungry, emotionally upset, bullied, in pain, etc.

Students who are often being bullied will definitely not feel accepted; this is why so many drop out or discuss dropping out. I think that alternatives to brick-and-mortar schools, such as e-learning and virtual schools, are a good alternative to reduce bullying.

Small size is listed as one of the characteristics. However, in this school district, we are continuously combining schools making classroom sizes larger and larger each year.

This is something that we have learned in the medical field - past behavior is indicative of future behavior. Behaviors that are started at an early age and are continuously practiced and encouraged will become an intrinsic part of the student/person. Therefore, if engagement is not encouraged and practiced at an early age, the student will have a hard time putting this into place as they get older.

As I was reading the above paragraph about observational techniques, I kept thinking "how do you measure cognition by observation AND know that you are accurate?".

I wonder about the thought and time placed on completing these types of questionnaires. As humans in general, we tend to focus on the present and the recent past. Are the teachers who are completing these provided direction on how far back to consider student behavior? If not, are they only considering current behavior from the most recent interactions they have had with the student or are they summarizing the student's behavior from several interactions? Each of us can have a bad day where we are less engaged and our behaviors are stray from our normal.

I have seen this same type of behavior in the workplace as well. I have people on my team who are the epitome of this.

Of the three definitions provided in this paragraph, I think that this one is the most accurate. I also think that of school as broader than the institution. School includes the teachers, principal, administrative staff, janitorial staff, other students, and more.

I think in this instance engagement can be circular. The more a student participates at the upper levels, the more likely that teachers and other education staff will positively interact with the student and encourage engagement. This will increase the student's engagement, and the cycle will continue.

I think that this is one facet that is often ignored by those in the education community. If students are being bullied or have no friends, they will not want to go to school or do the work; therefore, there is no meaningful learning being done by the student.

Finally, a statement that I can agree with in this article!!

I must have been talking and interacting with the wrong kids. I did not see this behavior or thought process in either of my kids, my nephews, or their friends. These kids would mention that there were some classes that they put little effort into, but it was not all classes.

Reading this sentence hit a nerve. Students of today and back in 2004 when this article were published are/were being taught to question authority. Some do it appropriately and some not. In addition, today's youth have a difference stance regarding respect than older generations (which historians would be in) in that respect must be earned and is a two-way street.