Engaging Students

Engaging Students. Isn't that what our goal is? When my students have been engaged, I knew they were thinking and processing the work at hand. If students can pursue their own interests, engagement isn't usually a problem, but that isn't always possible, and we don't know them well enough at the beginning of the year to introduce something of interest to them. We don't know what our student's interests are, and they don't have enough information about the class and us as their teachers to know whether they will be interested or not.

Again, the answer to all of this is community building. We need to find out our students' likes and dislikes, their past experiences in and out of school. One of my favorites and that of past MWP participants, is a class quilt. I have used this numerous times with great success. If you are teaching online/Zoom, this will work best the second or third day of class, because students will have to gather materials. (If you are in school, classroom teachers can furnish materials.)

At the bare minimum, students will need a pencil and two 8x10 sheets of blank paper. A variety of materials is even better. Giving them a list, similar to the following will help them gather items related to who they are as a person and student.

Quilt Materials:
2 sheets of paper (white or colors)
pencil, pen, markers, crayons, colored pencils or sharpers - (whatever is available)
glue, stapler or tape
scissors

Steps to Completion: (Demo a day ahead so that students have an idea of possible materials)
1. Take one sheet of paper and draw your Initials on the front, tall and wide enough that they can be cut out. 
2. Decorate the remainder of this sheet with cutouts, drawings, phrases that symbolize who you are.
3. Glue, Tape, or Staple this sheet to your second sheet to complete your quilt square.
4. Take a photo of your picture and send it to your teacher
5. Teachers will connect all photos to make a class quilt.

Students can work on this in class the following day, online, with you checking on them individually as they work. Maybe a few will be willing to talk about their process with the rest of the class. Be sure to check in with each student. 

Once the quilt is complete, it can be used over a period of time to have students introduce themselves to each other through talking about their own quilt square.

 The greatest value of this quilt is in showing students how important they are to the makeup of the class. Show them that when one square is removed, the class is no longer complete...that the beauty of the quilt and their class is that everyone has a place, and that when one piece is missing, the quilt is no longer complete.

Share your thoughts on this activity and others you have had success implementing.