To to be clear—no one can (or would want to) spend all their time deeply engaged as described above. There is a need for compliance, participation (particularly when it has more to do with collaboration), and internal motivation. We need children to comply with our admonitions to look both ways before they cross the street and to refrain from striking another child when they become angry. We want children to be helpful participants in a classroom community, and internal motivation is often the launching pad for engagement.
Most teachers agree, however, that we want the proportion of children's time to tilt toward intrinsic motivation and engagement. If we take the long view—what we want children to be able to think, feel, believe, and act upon, not just twenty days or weeks, but in twenty years, and not only for themselves, but on behalf of others—it will become clear that engagement is one of the most crucial learning tools we can help children develop. More important, however, engagement is a significant part of what makes us feel truly alive.
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To learn more about Engaging Children visit Heinemann.com
Ellin Oliver Keene has been a classroom teacher, staff developer, non-profit director, and adjunct professor of reading and writing. For sixteen years she directed staff development initiatives at the Denver-based Public Education & Business Coalition. She served as Deputy Director and Director of Literacy and Staff Development for the Cornerstone Project at the University of Pennsylvania for four years. Ellin works with schools and districts throughout the country and abroad with an emphasis on long-term, school-based professional development and strategic planning for literacy learning. She serves as senior advisor at Heinemann, overseeing the Heinemann Fellows initiative and is the editor of the Heinemann Professional Development Catalog-Journal. Follow Ellin on Twiiter @EllinKeene
