A Teacher’s Guide to Student Engagement

You may think having students who want to be at school and learn from their teachers sounds to good to be true. But that’s what schools that focus on increasing student engagement are seeing. More than coming to class and turning in homework, engaged students are enthusiastic about their education and have a desire to excel in their classes. If you want to see your students succeed, you must figure out how to engage them in the learning process.

A custom sign with classroom rules and a plaque with an inspirational quote, each designed to increase student engagement.

What is student engagement?

In education, student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education.

How does student engagement affect learning?

Multiple research studies have found that students who arrive on time, pay attention in class and complete assignments are more likely to get higher grades and graduate on time. On the flip side, studies have found that students who do not pay attention or participate in classwork have lower grades and are less likely to graduate on time. Because student engagement directly impacts student performance, it is essential for teachers to recognize when students are engaged and increase that level of engagement.

How can you tell when students are engaged?

There are three types of student engagement: behavioral, cognitive and emotional.

Behavioral Engagement is when students actively participate in the learning process. They show up on time, turn in their homework and bring the materials they need for class. They also participate in class discussions, do what their teacher says and consistently try their best.

Cognitive Engagement is when students try to learn as much as they can. Not only do they pay attention in class, but they also ask thought provoking questions and go beyond what you ask them to do.

Emotional Engagement is when students have a positive outlook on their educational experience. You can tell students are emotionally engaged when they treat you and their classmates with respect and approach schoolwork with optimism.

To know how invested your students are in their education, look for all three types of engagement. If you only concentrate on behavioral engagement, you may overlook students who feel left out or need to be intellectually challenged.

What makes student engagement challenging?

Custom ribbons with a school mascot and logo attached to an apple, used to increase student engagement.

Keeping students engaged is hard, both in a classroom setting and an online learning program. In a classroom, you have to teach all of your students at once. This makes it hard for you to determine how quickly you should go through a lesson. If you go too fast, some students will get frustrated as they fall behind. If you go too slow, other students will lose interest as they wait for the next activity

The difficult part about teaching students online is that they can get easily distracted. Not only can they get lost in browsing the internet or playing video games, but they can also get disrupted by other people who do not realize they are in class.

Online learning also makes it hard for students to connect with the class emotionally. If students feel that they don’t have a relationship with you or their classmates, then they are less motivated to participate in discussions or do their homework.

Student Engagement Strategies

Now it is time to plan how you will increase student engagement. To help you get started, here are some ideas that apply to almost every grade level. And they work for classroom and online teaching.

Behavioral Engagement Strategies

Students will know how to behave when you give them class rules to follow. List your class rules on a custom sign or plaque, and hang it where students can see it. Make sure to include a rule about students treating each other (and you) with respect so that everyone has a positive experience.

Get more students to participate in class discussions by putting each student’s name on a name tag. When you have a question for the class, draw a name tag out of a box and ask that student to answer it. This strategy prevents the same students from answering all of the questions. It also motivates your students to stay alert because they never know when their name is going to be chosen.

Another way to get students to stay alert is to use blank ribbons as attention signals. Hold up one color ribbon to say when it is time to listen and another color when it is time to discuss. Using these visual cues helps your students know what to do and stay engaged throughout the lesson.

Cognitive Engagement Strategies

Motivate your students to do their best by coming up with learning objectives for your class. Learning objectives show your students what they can achieve if they pay attention and complete assignments. Once they understand how your class benefits them, they will take it seriously. To keep these learning objectives on the forefront of their minds, add them to a custom sign or plaque for all your students to see.

Keep your students focused on their schoolwork by making educational bookmarks for them. Use Custom Top Ribbons to make full-color bookmarks that teach grammar rules or math formulas that will help students with their homework. Your students are sure to appreciate these learning tools and use them for textbooks and other class materials.

Part of keeping your students engaged mentally is giving them a chance to unwind. To make this easy, customize name tags with a wide variety of mental breaks (e.g., sing a song or play rock, paper, scissors) and put them in a jar. When it is time for a mental break, take a tag out of the jar and have your students do that activity.

Emotional Engagement Strategies

Get your students excited to learn by decorating your classroom with ribbons, plaques and more. Even if you teach online, decorating the room you are in with bright colors and custom designs will stimulate your students’ imaginations. Hang a ribbon chandelier from the ceiling or drape a ribbon garland along a wall. Give your whiteboard a little flair by lining the edges with a brightly colored ribbon. To decorate your desk, customize an acrylic plaque or desk wedge with an inspirational quote and graphic.

Emotionally engage your students by helping them get to know you and their classmates better. Customize badge ribbons with a wide assortment of positive characteristics, such as Life of the Party or Proud Computer Geek. Have each student wear these ribbons during class by attaching them to their shirt. (Don’t forget to wear ribbons that describe you.) By using these descriptive ribbons, your students will emotionally connect to you and their classmates as they see (literally) how much you all have in common.

Students will have a positive attitude toward learning when you make it fun. Use paper inserts to play trivia and other games with your students. While you are at it, why not throw in some friendly competition with spelling bees and other contests. Don’t forget to pass out Prize Ribbons so your students will always remember the fun they had in your class.

What engagement strategies have worked for you? Share them in a comment so other educators can benefit from your expertise.

Improve Performance Through Student Engagement

No matter if you are teaching online or in person, keeping your students engaged in the learning process will improve their school performance. They will earn better grades, score higher on tests and graduate on time. So what are you waiting for? Put custom name tags, ribbons, plaques and signs to work for you so your students will reach their potential.

Custom Signs for Every School and Classroom

From directions to artwork, custom signs are the perfect fit for all of your classroom needs.

People don’t often think about all of the places they see custom signs. Yet every day, they pass at least a dozen. And, this doesn’t change when you are in school. In many cases, this visibility increases. Signs are everywhere. They provide instructions and directions, and they give warnings and security notices. Most importantly, they are there to help.

And, we’re here to help you understand how necessary custom signs are around a school. Teachers should take advantage of these fantastic tools for every corner of their classroom. From fun and bright colors to the ability to add simple artwork and graphics, creating your sign has never been easier. Here are some great examples of how every classroom can utilize these tools.

custom signs made for any school or classroom need

Where would you put a sign in your classroom or school?

You don’t have to look hard to find a place that needs either some extra color or more instructions. Signs can be used throughout an entire school. Think about the lunchroom, the principal’s office, the library and even the bathrooms! So, don’t limit yourself when creating your custom signs.

Every person in your school will know exactly where they need to be and what they should be doing when you utilize these fantastic signs. Help students figure out just where they need to be with directional signage that even comes as a stock option. All you need to do is pick the color that best suits where you need it hung, and you’re all set. Choices range from “Entrance” to “Lost & Found” and everything in between.

Upgrade your Classroom with Custom Signs

Sometimes a teacher may struggle to decorate their classroom. From bulletin boards to homework stations, signs are a convenient way to get decorating started. Use them to help students know where to hang their coats and backpacks. Place a sign on a desk for an easy sign-in for volunteers in your classroom. They are also the perfect tool to help create order in the chaos of a supply closet.

And don’t forget about those graphics! Add a simple image that represents your school or logo. Or, choose something that can represent your classroom. Students enjoy having a mascot to look up to or draw inspiration from.

Update your classroom’s look with new decorations using signs. Customize them with nearly any message you can think up. Add your favorite quote with a suitable graphic to hang on your wall. Or, create a custom sign to hang on the outside of your room door so others can enjoy it as well. But, no matter your wording or literary choice, remember that this personalized product is just as unique as you.

Get Creative With Personalized Signs

Sometimes all you need is a creative mind, and you’ll have an instant piece of art. Adding a door sign to a room is the perfect touch to help you be yourself. Custom signs are perfect for a classroom and any room in any school. (Careful, we have limitations that your imagination might not!)

From desk placement to student homework, there is a place for everything. So, make sure you know where that place is by creating an organized space. Once you have an organization plan, write it down. By doing this, you will help the students in your classroom know where things go and you will stay organized.

And, don’t forget to decorate. Use posters, banners, ribbons and custom signs to make your classroom a pleasant place for learning. Don’t go overboard, but make sure that your classroom is inviting and stimulating.

custom signs with a fun christmas quote

From simple instructions about how to complete a task to holidays and birthdays, these custom signs are here to make your day.

Going Back To School, Office Edition

From a classroom to the office, name tags are for everyone!

Even though most adults don’t get a summer vacation or break, there are still many reasons to celebrate the kids going back to school. From new clothes to a spa day for you after your little ones get back to their education, there are many things to do and get for yourself. But don’t forget your office.

Whether it’s a corporate or a home office, why not treat yourself to a little something special while you’re treating the kids? We have several products to give you a refreshing start to your back-to-office experience.

Make your desk shine with a new acrylic desk block or executive desk wedge.

custom Executive Name Plates and Acrylic Desk Blocks are perfect for any officeQuality desk wedges show that you have set a level of excellence for yourself that goes above and beyond average. And, the thick desk blocks command attention and stand stably by themselves in any office. Each of these fancy name plates looks great on a desk, bookshelf or anywhere else you would like to display them.

use custom signs and award plaques to give your office a new lookGive yourself the gift of literacy with a custom plaque or sign.

Update your office look with a new sign or custom plaque. Customize either product with nearly any message you can think up. Add your favorite quote with a suitable graphic to a plaque to hang on your wall. Or create a custom sign to hang on your door so others can enjoy it as well. But, no matter your wording or literary choice, remember that each of these products is just as unique as you are.

Here’s to having fun on your first-day-back with adhesive badges!

Adhesive Name Badges are a fun tool to use for communication in your officeWhile they don’t quite seem suitable for an office, don’t underestimate adhesive badges. They can be tons of fun to play a couple of quick office games. Write down fun nicknames for everyone around you. Then, offer them up as a playful way of reconnecting after a weekend away from each other. Or, take these badges to your next company meeting and use them for ice-breaking games. No matter how you choose to use these fun stickers, they are sure to help with office communication.

So, whichever product you choose to spoil yourself with, remember that even though the kids are going back to school, you deserve a treat too!

Classroom Creativity Using Name Tags

Name tags play an essential role in any classroom creativity. Get your back to school on with style and use personal identification products to help. From name tags to custom signs, use these identification tools for multiple things in any classroom. Use them for decorating and helping you to get to know your students. They are great for school games and organization. Need some more ideas? Here are several products to get you started with multiple ways to use each one.

Finding Multiple Uses for Badge Holders

badge holders make great hall and bathroom passes for a classroom

This identification tool is useful in so many ways. They are great for hall and bathroom passes. Not only can you print the name of the pass, but also print something colorful like a logo or graphic, so students are less likely to misplace the pass. Attach a lanyard to the badge holder, and the student can wear the pass so that it is visible as they are out of your room.

Badge holders are also the perfect solution for parent volunteers for your class or on field trips. Just print the parent’s names on the inserts and then you’ll have a better idea of who came with you the next time your class has a party or outing. Make sure you get the badges back, but then the parent can keep the insert for a scrapbook as a memento of the time they spent at school.

Save time with Reusable Name Plates

reusable name plates are a great identification tool for any classroom

Not only are they cost-effective, but reusable name plates are more than perfect for the classroom creativity. Use them for labeling your closet shelves. They are also great for any signage you may need such as a room number or a teacher’s name for their door.

And, with printable inserts, you can quickly change any information you need. Add graphics and logos to the inserts for a uniform look. Because you can print anything you need on them, these reusable name plates will fit in any room or office, so don’t forget all the support staff. Your secretary will appreciate a new name plate each year with any updated look you may want.

Bring a splash of color into your classroom creativity with these blank name tags.

use blank name tags for your classroom for games, decor and labeling

Use these identification tools for a fun new way of organizing nearly anything in your closets, on your desk or for student supplies. With the abundance of available colors, we’re sure to have something that suits your decor and needs. You can even write on them using a permanent marker so that they will go anywhere!

Bonus idea: use blank name tags for coat rack tags so each student will know which hook is theirs.

Are you planning on games throughout the school year? Use these colorful tags for game pieces or labels for each game. From bingo to color matching, these name tag blanks are perfect for any need you have in your classroom!