John Mark C.

Bartolome Educ 207

Master of Arts in Education major in Educational Management

REACTION PAPER

“How do you effectively engage your students in”

organization. At the same time, the effective application of leadership qualities highly
depends on the
approach used by leaders to their associates and subordinates.
The report of Ms. Cherry Yurag focuses on the qualities of a transformational leader, that
leaders
should inspires people by being a role model, motivates people to achieve high
standards, challenges
people to develop creative solutions, develop people on an individual basis and aligns
company interest
with employee need.
Among the variety of approaches existing in the contemporary business environment,
for me
transformational leadership is one of the most popular and widely spread approaches, which
is considered
by many specialists as highly prospective. In this respect, it is important to underline
that the
transformational leadership has not only benefits but it may have certain risks which can
threaten the
normal development and performance of the organization, where this approach is applied.
Today, the role of leaders is extremely important for the successful performance of
various
organization. At the same time, the effective application of leadership qualities highly
depends on the
approach used by leaders to their associates and subordinates.
The report of Ms. Cherry Yurag focuses on the qualities of a transformational leader, that
leaders
should inspires people by being a role model, motivates people to achieve high
standards, challenges
people to develop creative solutions, develop people on an individual basis and aligns
company interest
with employee need.
Among the variety of approaches existing in the contemporary business environment,
for me
transformational leadership is one of the most popular and widely spread approaches, which
is considered

Bibliography:
hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/engaging-students-on-the-first-day-and-every-day
© 2023 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an
affiliate of Harvard Business School.
by many specialists as highly prospective. In this respect, it is important to underline
that the
transformational leadership has not only benefits but it may have certain risks which can
threaten the
normal development and performance of the organization, where this approach is applied.
Picture the absolute worst student experience you’ve had as a learner, when you were
totally disengaged in a particular class. What impeded your learning? Why didn’t the course
hold your attention? Was the content personally meaningful to you? Did the instructor seem
to care about you or your interests at all? Students form judgments about their courses and
their instructors within the opening moments of a class. When teachers fail to hook students’
attention up front, engagement remains a struggle for the rest of the semester.

To better approach engagement in my courses at Bryant University—whether on the

first day or any day of the semester—I start with empathy. Think about what the course is
going to be like for your students. And begin getting to know them—even before they enter
your classroom. Research shows that when you build relationships with students by getting to
know them and allowing them to know you, they will learn more. Through knowledge of
their backgrounds and interests, you’ll be better equipped to connect class content to their
lives. You’ll enjoy teaching more as well. Here are a few ways I get to know my students.
Index cards. On the first day of class, I have students list on an index card where they’re
from, their interests, their area of study, past internships, favorite hobbies, professional
aspirations, and anything else they would like me to know about them. Of course, this helps
me get to know each student. But the primary objective is to use some of that knowledge in
the classroom—by incorporating their interests into our discussions and activities. You might
think, why index cards? Seems pretty old school. However, I keep the cards in little file
boxes forever. When students graduate and return years later to visit or write to ask for a
recommendation, it helps jog my memory and recall my personal connection to them.

Google Forms. The same information can be gathered through a Google Forms
document. One advantage of this approach is the ability to send the document to students and
receive responses prior to our first session.

VoiceThread. This app lets you create a video that others can comment on through
text, audio, or video. I create and upload a five-minute introduction of myself for my
students. I ask them to comment on my video by posting their own introductory video. They
can see their peers’ videos as well, so not only am I learning about the students, but they’re

Bibliography:
hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/engaging-students-on-the-first-day-and-every-day
© 2023 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an
affiliate of Harvard Business School.
also learning about one another before the first day of class. Students are concerned about
what kind of impression they’ll have on their teachers, and often this uncertainty makes them
hesitant to speak up in class. This self-censoring is an obstacle to collective learning and the
exchange of ideas. To combat this, create a climate of psychological safety within your
classroom where students know that it’s okay to speak up. And make participation a
requirement from the start. Here are some ways to encourage participation in your classes:
Call on students—but pay attention when extra support is needed. Collective learning can’t
happen if the same three people are responding all the time. To get broad participation, I cold
call students. They all know ahead of time that I may call on them at any time. For students
who are particularly reticent or anxious about that possibility, I might do a warm call and let
them know ahead of time so they have some warning. I also emphasize that in my class
there’s no downside to wrong answers. If I call on you and you’re stuck, I’ll ask your
classmates to come to your aid. “Help them out” is a phrase I use all the time, and students
appreciate it. So there’s no downside to wrong answers unless you clearly didn’t do the work
before class. Have students grade each others’ in-class involvement. My students are graded
on their thoughtful contributions to class, but not by me. Peer grading certainly motivates
students to participate. But it also provides me an incredibly rich record of how students
contributed to their peers’ learning throughout the course. Ban the podium when teaching in
person. Many teachers spend entire class sessions hiding behind their podiums, clinging to
them for dear life. The podium becomes a physical and a psychological barrier. Instead,
model psychological safety by getting away from it. Certainly, there are limitations when
teaching online, but in person we should be out among the students where we can interact
with them. In my classroom, there is no front or back—I teach from the middle.

Many of us have heard the saying, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the
lighting of a fire.” In my teaching, I aim to do much more than transmit a small body of
knowledge over the course of a semester. For me, engaging students means sparking their
intellectual curiosity, encouraging them to ask thought-provoking questions, and motivating
them to tackle challenging problems. If we engage them, we can inspire them to excel in our
classrooms and become productive lifelong learners.

Bibliography:
hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/engaging-students-on-the-first-day-and-every-day
© 2023 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an
affiliate of Harvard Business School.