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The annual CoTESOL Convention brings a number of respected members of the TESOL field to speak on issues that are both timely and critical. One such speaker, Michael Rost, a lecturer at the University of California, Berkley, presented a plenary lecture titled “Top Ten Tips to Increase Learner Engagement.” In his lecture, he explained how learner engagement can be improved by using such things like interactive technology in the classroom and carefully crafting more student-centered lesson plans. The most impactful tip, however, had to do with fostering student motivation.

The level of engagement in the classroom, according to Rost, often reflects the overall success of a lesson. The student learning outcome of any particular activity may only be met to a certain degree, depending on the level of student engagement with the material. There are passive learners who find it difficult to dive into the material and learners who are wholeheartedly and actively engaged in the information, making their practice with the material worthwhile.

As a way to enhance student engagement, Rost emphasized the strong need for educators to find out what drives their learners. In fact, we must constantly seek to understand what our students’ passions are in life. Our goal is to use that information to make our lessons more relevant to our learners, thereby increasing their engagement, motivation, and commitment to understand and internalize the material. When this happens, the classroom can experience coherence, where both students and instructor work together as a unified whole. It is also important to remember that self-reflecting on what worked and what did not work in any particular lesson is critical when considering how to enhance student engagement and motivation.

Coherence, as it relates to language instruction and increased learner engagement, is a quality that all instructors need in their classroom, and this can take multiple forms. For example, the idea of having one’s students work together as a unified whole can only work if each individual student makes a commitment to themselves to be engaged in the lesson, often beginning with a spark from the instructor.  

A few of the main takeaways from Rost’s lecture are that the lessons we create must make logical sense by including appropriate timing and balancing the amount of lecture versus student involvement. Indeed, Rost illustrated the importance of student engagement through a series of photographs of classroom scenes where learners appeared completely enthralled in student-centered tasks, while the instructor was shown to be more effective as a guide. In addition, we must strive to tailor-make our instruction to fit what motivates each student. Ultimately, while direct instruction is indeed helpful, a lesson will only be successful with a high level of student engagement that is maximized by careful planning.