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Student Engagement Part #2: Achieving Academic Momentum

It is clear when teaching or observing students if there is academic momentum in a classroom or if the room is full of students just trying to get through a class period. Those teachers that are able to foster academic momentum create a classroom is buzzing with energy, the students are collaborating with one another in order to refine or finish products and students are working just as hard as the teacher to keep one another accountable for their productivity and professionalism. One of the favorite questions of many observing coaches and administrators is "what are you working on today?" That question is weak and often elicits responses that take nothing more than students simply looking at the board and reciting the day's objective (that is also a low-leverage practice, which may be another post at another time). 

The questions that teachers and administrators should be asking are "what is the ultimate outcome of the unit/project you working on and how will the work be presented?" and "how does what you are doing today fit into the larger outcomes and goals of this unit of study/project?" To answer these questions students have to know the context of their own learning and be able to communicate today's goal in the larger context of the unit of study. This takes better communication by the teacher, deeper planning and the ability to help students internalize the learning process. This is an indicator of academic momentum. 

When a classroom has academic momentum, there is likely one or more of the following characteristics: 1) Authentic work is being done by the students 2) Students are presenting work to an authentic audience and 3) Experts from the field of study have either advised the development of the curriculum or will critique the final product created by the students. 

AUTHENTIC WORK + AUTHENTIC AUDIENCE + EXPERT FEEDBACK = ACADEMIC MOMENTUM

Authentic Work: Students are doing the same work that professionals in that field are doing. In social studies this looks like diving into demographics, mapping and pushing students to create new arguments that add to the field of work. Scientists create, execute and analyze labs. Mathematicians use their expertise to solve problems and add insight and number sense to clarify issues. What are experts in the field doing while at work? That is what students should be preparing for and pursuing in the classroom. 

Authentic Audience: Who will see the work? Will the outcome of a speech and debate project culminate in a school wide panel discussion? Will the final project of a language arts course be published on a blog or in a local publication? Planning should start with how student work will be presented and who will see and critique that work. 

Expert Analysis and Feedback: Feedback is one of the most critical aspects of a teacher's effectiveness. How quickly and how accurate feedback is given is the mark of a teacher who is in control of their planning and outcomes. When a teacher also gets experts in the field to give insight at the end or in the process of the work provides a significantly higher level of feedback. Critique from experts and insight as students work towards an outcome is much more effective than the teacher grading at the end of a project and putting scores in as the culminating action. 

These three pillars are essential components of a classroom that has academic momentum. Kids are working with a purpose because they know what they are doing is real, they know it will be seen in public and they know that experts in their field have provided feedback to them at the end or in the process of the work. Academic momentum is critical to student growth and success and is the key indicator of a class that is working together to accomplish a task which is far more effective than a classroom full of individuals trying do whatever it takes just to get through the class. 


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