What is Student Engagement?

Student engagement is often considered one of the "holy grails" of education, yet it is also a widely-defined and often misunderstood term. At its most literal, engagement simply means being occupied or involved in an activity. In conversations about student engagement, a common theme is that we don’t just want kids to be occupied, we also want them to be excited.

But that’s not enough.

Meaningful student engagement is tied to sustained effort, intentional thinking, and active learning.

When it comes to student engagement, the focus very often gets put on bringing students to the learning—getting them excited about a topic, a lesson or an activity. But when the method used to engage students is only superficial, that excitement can fade very quickly, and the deeper learning never happens. Students have to be motivated through the learning for active engagement, and that motivation must be intrinsic.