Moreland University Graduate Nick Santalucia’s Advice to Deepen Student Engagement
Nick Santalucia graduated from Moreland University’s teacher certification program in 2020 and is currently an ELA teacher in Vietnam. He began his teaching career with the pursuit of creating a safe and meaningful space in the classroom that would promote student engagement and diversity. At the time, he was looking for an online learning program that would provide the right foundation to take the first step in acquiring his teaching certificate.
It was Moreland University’s approach to non-traditional learning and the direct impact of in-classroom application that led Nick to pursue the TEACH-NOW preparation program.
In our talk with him, Nick highlighted two main benefits of Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Program. Nick noted the accessibility and flexibility of the program and highlighted how applicable the coursework was to his day-to-day teaching. “The diverse culture and empowerment from Moreland University takes your experiences and makes it applicable to the classroom.”
When asked why he would recommend Moreland University to a friend, Nick noted how much the TEACH-NOW program has been positively impacting student engagement in his teaching practice.
In Nick’s opinion, the three keys to unlocking student engagement in the classroom are “Direction. Passion. Humility.”
Having a clear direction and action plan of how you are going to engage your students with their learning material each day makes for an effective online learning experience. Also, recognizing the fact that students are people, and people have an innate desire to be heard. By utilizing the skillset and foundational tools provided in the TEACH-NOW program, Nick has been able to empower students by giving them a voice.
“Student engagement is more predictive of continued success than current academic success.”
Learn more about our online teaching preparation program.
