Whether you’re a parent or a teacher, you’ve likely wondered how to keep kids engaged in their high school studies. Perhaps student interest and engagement wasn’t a problem in the elementary or middle school years. There’s often less required of younger students and the subject matter being taught is sometimes deemed more ‘fun’ and ‘interesting’.
What do you do, then, as students reach high school and the complexity of the subject matter increases? How do you keep kids engaged in what they’re learning so they can benefit from their high school education?
The truth is, there are a variety of answers to these questions. Some answers lie within the students themselves. Others have more to do with teacher qualities or characteristics of the school environment. Today, let’s look at a few simple suggestions for improving high school student engagement.
5 Ways to Keeps Teens Engaged In Their Studies
1. Personal attention from the teacher or instructor – Young or old, students are more likely to stay engaged when they have a 1:1 relationship with their teacher. As the relationship grows, students understand that the teacher has their best interests at heart and cares about their individual success. On the other hand, teachers who have a close relationship with their students will understand each student’s preferred learning style. Armed with this information, they can teach accordingly to foster the ultimate learning experience.
2. Small class sizes – A class size that makes personal teacher-student relationships possible is an excellent way to keep kids engaged in their schoolwork. When classes become too large, students are sometimes ‘lost in the shuffle’. Without individualized attention given to their personal learning needs, it’s easy for students to lose interest.
3. Hands-on learning opportunities – As students reach high school, there’s often an increased emphasis on a STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Therefore, the subject matter often increases in difficulty. In addition, some of the concepts being taught may seem abstract or challenging to understand. A high school teacher can keep kids engaged, however, by providing hands-on learning experiences where concepts being taught are applied to real life scenarios.
4. Involve kids in the teaching/learning experience – Perhaps the greatest measure of whether you’ve learned something is if you can teach it to someone else in a way they can understand. When students are provided the opportunity to teach their peers, they often become more engaged in the experience and even exhibit higher mastery of the material.
5. Offer a self-paced curriculum – Gifted students sometimes exhibit disinterest in the classroom simply because they’ve already mastered the material. Similarly, students who need more time to learn the material can lose interest because the rest of the class has moved on. When possible, teachers can keep kids engaged by allowing students to progress through the curriculum at the pace that’s right for them.
Self-Paced, Hands-On Aviation Programs For High School Students
At Rising Aviation High School, there’s one more thing that helps us keep kids engaged in their academic studies. The students who are enrolled in our programs have at least one common interest. They have a passion for flying or some other part of the aviation industry.
With small class sizes, expert instructors, hands-on aviation training, and a self-paced STEM curriculum that includes aviation electives, our campus provides a unique blended learning experience for teens. High school students interested in pursuing an aviation education are welcome to attend one of our informational sessions. Students and their parents can learn more about our programs and even get a guided campus tour.
To get a listing of upcoming session dates and to register to attend, click here: Informational Session at Rising Aviation High School.
