Engagement and Excitement in the Classroom

By Shanise Walker

As a new semester begins, I find myself reflecting and pondering the following questions: What was exciting and engaging to the students who took a course with me previously? What more can I do to engage and introduce mathematics to students in a way that initiates discussion, inquiry, and challenge? In what ways can I meet the students where they are? Addressing these questions has led me to discover ways to introduce exciting mathematics and engage students through the first day of class activities, warm-ups, in-class individual practice time, and implementing brain breaks during class time.

The goal of my first day of classes is to build rapport with the students and provide them with excitement about the course. While course logistics and syllabus matters are discussed, students are also engaged in an introductory mathematics activity related to the course content. As someone who enjoys games, riddles, and puzzles, I tend to employ them as a think-pair-share first-day-of-class activity. For example, in my linear algebra course, students work to solve a riddle that can be solved using linear algebra concepts. Students usually don’t use linear algebra on their initial attempts at solving the riddle. As student’s struggle to solve the riddle, their engagement levels grow as they pair with peers to discuss their solutions and discover that their answers vary. To end the activity, I briefly introduce the linear algebra concept of solving a linear system, and we solve the riddle together as a class. In my mathematical logic course, students explore a card trick and make initial conjectures. We then discuss ways we can prove the conjecture to be true. This activity really engages students because their conjectures lead to discoveries about logical concepts that must be used. Students are also introduced to my playing card collection, which they find exciting.

In lower level mathematics courses, I use 3-5 short warm-up questions to recall students' understanding of previously discussed content. These questions often address mathematics computation techniques and conceptual understanding. It is standard practice in my courses that students will complete their warm-up questions in the first 5-7 minutes of the class and then discuss them as a large group. The questions do vary in difficulty with the last question expanding their understanding by gently introducing the current topic of the day. Students look forward to this routine, and I have often been asked “where is the warm-up today?” if I have not posted it prior to the start of class. Ultimately, the warm-up questions provide additional practice for students and initiate the “start” of class.

Throughout the semester, I continue to provide engaging activities to students and include real-world applications. It is my hope that each class period students are not just discovering new mathematics, but are also engaged in the class community in ways that benefit them. Utilizing think-pair-share has become a staple in all of my courses and students look forward to sharing their solutions with their peers. Another method that is used to engage students is through individual practice time in class. During individual practice, students work diligently through a set of mathematics questions and concepts while I, as an instructor, oversee and discuss concepts with students individually. This allows me the opportunity to briefly assess students’ understanding and address misunderstandings. Individual practice time ends with students providing solutions aloud to their classmates. This practice has created an environment in which students feel comfortable answering their peers' questions and exchanging their own strategies and approaches to solve math problems.

Finally, I strive to incorporate brain breaks into every class block. The breaks typically occur at the transition of a new concept or as we build upon a topic. In a 75-minute course block, students will have a 4-6 minute brain break, while students receive a 3 minute break during a 50-minute course block. During these breaks, students will take the opportunity to step outside of the classroom, move around, talk with peers, use their cellphones, or ask me individual questions. These breaks have proven to be beneficial in my courses because students return back to instruction time focused and ready to discuss more mathematics content. As an educator who strives to have a student-centered classroom, student engagement has proven to increase students' understanding of course material and lead to successful completion of the course. I am looking forward to continuing the engagement practices listed above and adding other practices. Please do share your classroom engagement successes with the mathematics community and me.

Shanise Walker is an avid reader, lover of games, and enjoys being an auntie. She is also an assistant professor at Clark Atlanta University, where she spends her time engaging with students through teaching and experiential learning.