Running head: MODULE 2 REFLECTION 1

Module 2 Reflection: Engagement in Literacy and Discipline Specific Activities

Allison A. Kikkert

Arizona State University -- Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

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In order to effectively design engaging activities for secondary students, we must first

understand literacy in their own lives. Without understanding the link between motivation,

engagement, and achievement, we are put at a disadvantage when it comes to teaching students.

“Motivating students is important -- without it, teachers have no point of entry. But it is

engagement that is critical, because the level of ​engagement​ over time is the vehicle through

which classroom instruction influences student outcomes. For example, engagement with reading

is directly related to reading achievement” (Irvin, Meltzer, & Dukes, 2007, para. 17). As

teachers, we must exhibit and foster all these practices for students to be successful and see the

relevancy of content. Once we connect learning to students’ lives, we open the door for new and

exciting learning opportunities. One way to be the catalyst for deeper, sustained learning is the

integration of formative assessment strategies in the classroom. For enhanced student motivation,

formative assessments can pave the way for the creation of learning purposes. “When students

know what the goal is, they are most likely to achieve it” (Fisher & Frey, 2014, p.4). This can be

accomplished through “conveying both the content and language goals of the lesson” by adding

another dimension to alert students to what they will do with the content they are going to learn

(Fisher & Frey, 2014, p.4). This technique connects classroom learning with the real world,

which adds relevance to student learning; therefore, students have increased motivation,

engagement, and in turn, higher achievement.

To promote deeper learning, students can implement interdisciplinary, project-based

instruction. This type of instruction “provides students with ways of linking ideas and

information across content areas in order to promote higher level thinking among students at all

levels of education” (Hill, 2014, p. 451). This type of instruction can allow students to explore

solutions to problems that are “amenable to openness and student autonomy, which promotes
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student motivation, reading, and academic achievement” (Hill, 2014, p. 451). As established, not

only are students more motivated in their own learning process when learning content applies to

them, but it fosters deeper thinking through inquiry, thought, questioning, and challenges.

Teachers can promote this type of deeper learning by following this framework for planning

project-based inquiry instruction: asking a compelling question, gathering and analyzing sources,

creatively synthesizing claims and evidence, critically evaluating and revising, and sharing,

publishing, and acting (Spires, Kerkhoff, & Graham, 2016, p.153). Students will gain more from

the lessons when they are the leaders of their own learning.

Lastly, effective learning can be achieved both in the classroom (face-to-face) and digital

learning environments. In order for learning to be effective, there must be three presences in the

online classroom: social, teaching, and cognitive. Teachers must create the first critical step of

fostering a learning environment that is safe by establishing an “open, honest, and respectful

online community” (Tucker, n.d., para. 5). Additionally, teachers must “adopt a modular

approach to designing distance-learning experiences” by breaking up “learning activities into

smaller parts and give students time to self-pace through those activities” (Tucker, n.d., para. 12).

In order to create a cognitive learning presence online, a teacher must integrate technology into

teaching to create the most effective and engaging activities.

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References

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2014). Literary Practices that Adolescents Deserve: Assessments that

Highlight Strengths and Challenges. ​International Reading Association.

https://secondaryliteracies.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/assessments-strengths-challenges

.pdf

Hill, A. (2014). Using Interdisciplinary, Project-Based Multimodal Activities to Facilitate

Literacy Across the Content Areas. ​Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(​ 6),

450-458.

Irvin, J. L., Meltzer, J., & Dukes, M. S. (2007). Student Motivation, Engagement, and

Achievement. ​Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy. ​Judith Irvin.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107034/chapters/Student-Motivation,-Engageme

nt,-and-Achievement.aspx

Spires, H., Kerkhoff, S., & Graham, A. (2016). Disciplinary Literacy and Inquiry: Teaching for

Deeper Content Learning. ​Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60​(2), 151-161.

Tucker, C. R. (n.d.) Successfully Taking Offline Classes Online. ​An Educational Leadership

Special Report, 77​(1), 10-14.

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