Engagement

The opposite of engagement is disengagement. For school’s we might consider this to be behaviour that shows that a student is not connected to their learning, their classroom, their peers, their teacher or the school as a whole. Recent studies in the western world indicate that as many as 30% of teenagers in the middle years of schooling are disengaged from schooling. Engagement is actually strong when students are finishing primary school and drops off in middle school. Often this is demonstrated as a lack of belonging – what’s happening inside schools can have a big impact on this. This impacts all types of students from all backgrounds. The OECD reports that students who are more disengaged are more likely to struggle academically but more importantly have decreased wellbeing as compared to their more engaged peers. Some students feel lonely and that they struggle to make friends at school, even feeling like an outsider.

What are the challenges for fostering student engagement in our current world? In our own school?

What roles can schools and parents play in helping students to become more connected and fulfilled?

“If disengagement were a result of poor teaching or bad planning, the remedies would be simple” (Shirley & Hargreaves, 2021, p. 120). With a significant proportion of students disengaged in all schools the answer is undoubtably more than simply being more entertaining.

The first step is identifying when we see a young person who may be struggling and reaching out so that they know that we care about them and their wellbeing. Unless we have that personal connection learning cannot begin. I encourage you also to check in with your young person especially if the demands of school seem too much or there is no bounce in their step to get to school to see their friends. There are many staff here at school who are happy to work with you and your child to uncover why they may be feeling disconnected to their peers or the school.