Do we busy teachers really need to concern ourselves with ‘student engagement’? Is entertaining our students, keeping them happy, and pandering to their elementary interests really our job? Well, it’s not exactly like that, but yes, engagement is our job.
But why, some might add, do we need to focus on making the learning ‘engaging’ if that’s not what they will find in the workplace or postsecondary school? They are students; it’s their job to learn, right?