In this two-part blog post we will explore the recent ASCD book Teaching for Authentic Engagement by Lauren Porosoff. Porosoff discusses the concept of authentic student engagement and then offers practical tools for student collaboration for project-based and inquiry-based learning. Part 1 of our series explores authentic engagement and responsive formative feedback. Part 2 ““Enhancing Group Work: Effective Protocols for Student Collaboration” will describe three protocols to incorporate during project-based learning.
What is Authentic Engagement?
Authentic engagement is about creating an environment where students can actively participate, but it’s ultimately up to the students to immerse themselves fully in their learning and relationships. According to Lauren Porosoff, author of the recent book, Teaching for Authentic Engagement, authenticity means students share experiences, ask questions, seek help, and embrace failure. “It means seeing, hearing, and caring for others – and allowing ourselves to be seen, heard, and cared for” (Porosoff, 2023, p.3). When students are genuinely engaged, they experience a wide range of emotions because their classwork holds personal significance.
Tips to Empower Student Work Processes
To empower students, start by selecting topics that matter to them personally. Here’s how:
- Generate a Long List of Potential Topics: Aim for 15-20 topics. Use sentence starters, set a timer, and provide 2-3 specific prompts to help students recall diverse experiences. Consider sending an email to family members and ask them to help recalling details about possible topics.
- Articulate a Personal Connection: For each topic, ask students to write a sentence starting with “I” or “My” to describe their connection to the topic.
- Sort Connections by Personal Meaning: Ask students to categorize connections such as fleeting vs. lasting, shallow vs. deep, strong vs. weak, major vs. minor, or life-altering vs. inconsequential. Add kinesthetic learning by asking students to write their topics on sticky notes and arrange them in order of importance on a poster board or learning wall.
- Test the Topics: Determine which topic works best for the student and the assignment.
- Find Exemplars: Look for previous successful projects to use as examples.
Responsive Feedback
Responsive feedback highlights the difference between students’ intended and actual impact of their work (Porosoff, 2023, p. 108). Here is the most important aspect of ‘responsive feedback’: This feedback positions the teacher as a ‘fellow human’ viewing (and experiencing) their project/work rather than an authority figure, helping students recognize changes needed to achieve their desired impact. Here are some tips for effective responsive feedback. Porosoff describes how to do it from the perspective of the ‘feedback giver’ and the ‘feedback receiver’.
| Feedback giver | Feedback receiver |
| Observations: | Questions: |
| Which details stand out to you? List them. If a detail evokes a specific emotion, please tell me what it is. Do not indicate which parts you like or dislike – only what you feel, imagine, or remember. | What questions do you have about my work as a whole or any parts of it? List your questions. Questions beginning with WHAT or WHICH will help me add details. Questions beginning with WHEN or WHERE will help me add context. Questions beginning with HOW or WHY will help me add explanation. |
| Interpretations: | Inspirations: |
| What seems important to me? | What does my work make you want to do? |
| Using the Observations: | Using the Questions: |
| Are the details that stood out the ones you think should stand out? If not, consider cutting those details and adding different ones? Did the details evoke the kinds of emotions, images, or memories you want to evoke? If not, consider changing the language or the tone? | Based on the questions: What details might you add? What context might you include? What could you explain more fully? Do any questions indicate parts that are confusing or misleading? Consider clarifying them. |
| Using the Interpretations: | Using the Inspirations: |
| Are the things your reviewer said seemed important actually important? If not, consider clarifying parts to indicate what is important to you. Remove anything that will lead your audience to believe it is important, but you actually don’t. | Are the actions your reviewers mentioned the type of actions that matter to you? Consider changing or adding parts so your work inspires people to do the things you think are important. |
Conclusion
By following these guidelines, teachers can provide feedback that truly empowers students and enhances their engagement and learning experience. Stay tuned for our next blog “Enhancing Group Work: Effective Protocols for Student Collaboration” as we continue our review and discussion on the book Teaching for Authentic Engagement by Lauren Porosoff.