Boosting Student Engagement Using Active Learning Strategies (PreK-5)

Do you struggle to get, and then maintain, your students’ attention? Do you find it difficult to engage students in their learning? It’s not surprising that many teachers find themselves wondering how to “capture” their students’ attention, particularly in the digital world we live in. This online course is designed to prepare PreK-5 teachers to boost student engagement and community within their classroom walls using a variety of active learning strategies. The course begins by introducing teachers to the different types of engagement. Teachers will learn specific strategies to capture their students’ attention. From there, the course explores several teacher-driven, as well as, student-driven engagement techniques, all of which are designed to improve student engagement and boost classroom community. From establishing a positive classroom culture to exploring specific scaffolding techniques, teachers will learn how to transform their lessons so that students stay active and engaged. Strategies for making classroom experiences more relatable and fun through such things as classroom transformations, virtual field trips, expert talks, and project-based learning are explored. Additionally, teachers will examine a variety of interactive edtech tools to assist them in their efforts to build intrinsic motivation, capitalizing on their students’ love for technology. By the end of this course, teachers will feel more confident and successful in their quest to boost student engagement and community within their classroom. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: 

PDI courses receive letter grades. You can register and begin the course at any time and have until the end of Ashland University’s academic year to complete it. This course is web-based so you can access it from any computer with internet access. It is also self-paced, so you can work entirely at your own pace, when it is convenient for you. There are no specific times you must be online and no individual deadline dates for assignments. They can be submitted any time, so long as everything has been submitted by the end of the academic term.

HOW TO ACCESS YOUR COURSE MATERIALS: 

Within 1-2 business days of your Ashland registration, you will receive an email from your course content provider, Professional Development Institute, containing instructions on how to access your course materials. A note, their emails are sometimes forwarded to junk or spam folders. 

You will be working with PDI through their Learning Management System, to complete the course, after which, your instructor will record your grade on your AU transcript. We will notify you by email once this is done, with instructions on how to view and order transcripts. 

Ashland Professional Development: pds@ashland.edu