The Path to Student Engagement: Lili Jackson’s Take on Teaching Today’s Students
For decades, defining a clear path to increasing student engagement has been of utmost importance to teachers worldwide. A common question across the minds of all teachers globally has been: How do I effectively engage my students?
Given today’s classroom environments, the impact of online learning and shifts towards promoting higher education across the globe, this question has gotten more challenging. How can teachers engage students, even when they are in hybrid or remote learning environments?
Lili Jackson is a Moreland University alum, now faculty member and instructor of the TEACH-NOW Online Teacher Preparation Program. We recently spoke with her to learn more about how to effectively engage students in different learning environments, and she offered insights on the importance of promoting student engagement.
Like a lot of Moreland alumni and prospective candidates, Lili found Moreland University through a friend who referred her. She began her career originally wanting to pursue journalism. However, her passion for student learning and love for children nudged her in the direction of becoming a teacher. She was looking for a non-traditional way of learning and wanted to choose the best online teaching program that innovatively teaches ways to empower students.
Lili Jackson’s passion statement can be summed up as “Whoever is talking is learning.” Passing on the knowledge she has acquired through Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Preparation Program onto today’s students, and then watching the fruit of those learning seeds blossom has been the most rewarding aspect of Lili’s teaching career.
She offers 3 main insights on promoting student engagement in the classroom:
- Know your students. It is true what they say- the best way to get to know someone is to ask questions. This is the same for children in the classroom. Knowing your students’ likes and dislikes, and then personalizing learning to cater to their preferences is a proven way to promote student engagement.
- Highlight diversity. Intentionally choosing materials that highlight students’ diversity can allow students to see themselves in the reading materials. This will result in stronger engagement.
- Use technology to your advantage. Utilizing technological resources to meet students’ needs and engage them was key in Lili’s journey as an educator. Lili specifically references Module 5 of the TEACHNOW program at Moreland University for effective classroom technology resources.
How Moreland University is helping educators increase student engagement in the classroom: Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW program offers student-centered strategies and assessments that help teachers effectively engage their students. Specifically, these resources can be found in Modules 4, 5, and 6. Learn more here.
Moreland University Faculty Spotlight — Lili Jackson
