George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Student Engagement

What strategies really work to involve students in their own learning? Discover and share ideas.

  • Easy Ways to Build Metacognitive Skills

    Learn strategies to increase student engagement and stop students from asking, "Why are we doing this?"
    Jordan Mattox

  • Using the Outdoors to Teach STEM

    An engaging activity encourages students to explore math in everyday spaces like parks and school campuses.
    Koshi Dhingra

  • 3 Ways to Use Music in the Classroom

    A high school teacher shares how she uses music to foster a sense of community and make learning more engaging.
    Jori Krulder

  • Talk Less So Students Learn More

    Productive struggle is important for students to retain what they learn.
    Shannon McGrath

  • A Student-Centered Model of Blended Learning

    When educators at a Washington, DC, high school ditched their lectures and devised a self-paced blended learning model, their students thrived.

  • 8 Proactive Classroom Management Tips

    New teachers—and experienced ones too—can find ideas here on how to stop disruptive behavior before it begins.
    Youki Terada

  • 3 Ways to Ask Questions That Engage the Whole Class

    These techniques guide all students to process course content and then actively demonstrate their learning.
    Pérsida and Bill Himmele

  • How to Increase Participation by Asking Better Questions

    Framing questions the right way—and scaffolding the right kinds of responses—can help teachers avoid blank stares and awkward silences.
    Laura Lee

  • Students Think Lectures Are Best, But Research Suggests They’re Wrong

    A study reveals students prefer low-effort learning strategies—like listening to lectures—despite doing better with active learning.
    Youki Terada

  • A Student-Driven Approach to Experiential Learning

    See how a Reggio Emilia–inspired elementary school in Australia fosters student interests to spark curiosity and joy in learning.

  • 6 Strategies for Building Better Student Relationships

    A teacher shares her best practices for establishing strong relationships with her class at the start of the school year.
    Cicely Woodard

  • 30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class

    Most teachers have a method of calling for quiet, and we’ve collected a variety of good ideas for elementary, middle, and high school.
    Todd Finley

  • How to Keep Your Elementary Students Focused

    5 research-backed tips to keep your elementary students on-task.

  • 19 Big and Small Classroom Management Strategies

    Successful classroom management relies on a handful of fundamental strategies and a larger number of quick interventions.
    Todd Finley

  • Putting Students in Charge of Their Learning Journey

    By leaving space in their lessons for authentic curiosity to take hold, teachers can enable deeper learning.