Tell Me With Pictures! Grade 8 Students’ Digital Representations of Engagement in Learning

Abstract

This article discusses what constitutes engagement in learning from the perspective of Grade 8 students. While a mixed methods approach was employed to gather quantitative and qualitative data, the focus of this article is the qualitative data collected from an interactive, participatory workshop. As part of this workshop, Grade 8 students were asked to capture moments of engagement by taking digital pictures of spaces, places, items, and activities that represented their engagement in learning. Analysis of the digital pictures revealed themes related to: interest, collaboration, inspiration/motivation, nourishment, enjoyment, discovery, and a future purpose. Each theme is discussed with supporting pictures and quotes to prompt reflection and raise critical questions from the viewpoint of learners.

Communicating Elevated Academic Expectations: Positioning Students as Thinkers with Ideas to Share

“…While it is understood that developing such skills can be targeted in the teaching of reading and writing, (Kim et al, 2017;Murphy et al, 2017), what remains elusive is the kind of literacy practice, event, and/or text that will capture learner interest and willingness to persist, particularly when they have experienced academic struggles. Scholars have suggested that to have merit with learners, school-based literacy engagement needs to be perceived as authentic (Behizadeh, 2014a), as connected to real world examples, and as supportive (Josephs & Jolivette, 2016;Scheffel, 2017;Thompson et al, 2008). If such conditions are in place, the research shows that adolescents are more likely to take an interest in literacy tasks (Ivey & Johnston, 2015;Nystrand, 2006;Pittman & Honchell, 2014).…”