I Got It All Wrong About Engaging Learners
Note: This post shares one of the main driving reasons I wrote my new book, and why I’m giving away the audiobook for free. Get it here: The 27 Principles of Engagement: The Timeless Art of Capturing Attention and Inspiring Learning.
For years, I thought engagement meant I had to be the entertainer-in-chief of my classroom.
If my students weren’t on the edge of their seats, with wide eyes, and smiling…well, then clearly I was doing something wrong. Right?
So I did what many of us do when we’re young, eager, and maybe just a little desperate. I would put on a show.
I tried so many things. I once taught a lesson in a cape, and no, it wasn’t even a superhero unit. I created elaborate PowerPoints with enough animations to trigger vertigo.
Then I got into my Youtube era. A Youtube clip every ten minutes, because obviously 8th graders can’t survive more than 600 seconds without a funny or interesting video.
And let’s not even talk about the time I attempted to rap the Preamble to the Constitution. My students are probably still in therapy.
Here’s the thing: all of that got me attention… but not necessarily engagement. They laughed, they clapped, they even told other teachers about it. But did they actually learn? Ehh, not so much. At least not in the way I’d hoped.
The Shiny-Object Trap
After the cape-and-rap phase, I fell into what I now call the “Shiny-Object Syndrome.”
If there was a new tool, an app, or some gamified platform that promised to “revolutionize” learning, I was the first in line. I was basically a beta tester with a lesson plan.
I spent hours creating Kahoot quizzes, finding the perfect GIF for a Google Slide, or trying to figure out how to turn an iPad into a magic wand. Some of those things had moments of success. Kids were entertained, distracted from their boredom, and sometimes even motivated. But as the months went by, I noticed a pattern: the new tool’s magic wore off, and students were just as disengaged as before.
It turns out engagement doesn’t live in the tools we use, it lives in the tasks students actually do. If the task isn’t meaningful, relevant, or challenging, no amount of confetti cannons in your slideshow will fix it.
It’s like trying to get in shape by buying new sneakers every week but never actually working out. (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience here.)
What Actually Works (Spoiler: It’s Not Fireworks)
It took me years (and some serious bruised ego moments) to realize that the practices that work, and have worked for centuries, are surprisingly simple in nature.
Building relationships so students know they belong. If kids feel invisible, nothing else matters. Engagement starts with trust and presence, not a TikTok dance.
Asking questions that spark curiosity rather than just demand answers. “What do you think would happen if…?” is way more powerful than “What’s the correct answer to #7?”
Giving work that feels real and has an audience beyond the recycling bin or refrigerator. When students know their project, essay, or design will actually be seen by others, they bring their best, and engagement ramps up.
Challenging students just enough that they sweat, but not so much that they cry. That sweet spot between “too easy” and “too impossible” is where engagement lives (ZPD anyone?).
And here’s the kicker: you don’t have to juggle flaming swords to engage learners (though if you do, please send me the video). You have to connect, design with meaning, and create space for students to discover.
What works isn’t flashy. What works is human.
So, Did I Waste All Those Years Entertaining?
Not exactly. The energy, the creativity, the effort to try new things, I’m sure all of that still mattered. Students appreciated that I cared enough to give it a shot. But I confused entertainment with engagement.
As an instructional coach and school leader, I saw this firsthand as I worked with teachers in all different grades and subject areas.
There were many folks going through the motions, following the curriculum, using the textbook as the scope and sequence, and asking for compliance.
That rarely worked, except with the students that were already self-motivated to get good grades and play the game of school.
There were also folks like me, who were entertaining, trying their best to motivate and grab high attention, but often exhausted by it all, and missing the “high commitment” part of engagement.
Students don’t need us to be Netflix comedians. They need us to be steady guides who bring energy, yes, but also structure, purpose, and humanity.
I’ll be honest. When I retired the cape, it stung a bit. When I stopped trying to be a one-man circus, I wondered if students would just tune me out. But something surprising happened.
They leaned in more when I stopped performing and started partnering. They responded to my facilitating meaningful learning, not my stunts.
Adapting Without Throwing It All Away
Of course, things change. The students in our classrooms today scroll before they walk. They expect interactivity. They multitask at a level that makes me dizzy. I have five kids so I see this at home as well.
So yes, we have to adapt. We’ve actually always adapted in education.
But adaptation doesn’t mean abandoning what works. It means remixing it.
It means using today’s tools to do what teachers, coaches, and mentors have always done:
Be human. Students don’t engage with robots (well, unless the robot is cooler than you, which is possible for me). Share stories, admit mistakes, laugh with them.
Be social. Learning is contagious when it’s shared. Students want to talk, argue, and collaborate, even if it gets messy. Maybe especially when it gets messy. That’s how they remember.
Be meaning-centered. If the work doesn’t matter, neither will the effort. Students can smell “busywork” a mile away, just like all of us as adults. Give them something real to work on and watch engagement grow.
Be relevant. Connect what they love (sports, music, gaming, fashion, TikTok drama) to what they need to learn. If Aristotle were alive today, he’d probably be on YouTube explaining ethos, pathos, and logos with reaction videos. In fact, I know he’d be interested in exploring new mediums to expand learning.
The world will keep shifting, new tech like Artificial Intelligence, new challenges like absenteeism, new distractions like phones. But human connection, social learning, meaningful work, and relevance? Those are timeless. They don’t go out of style. They just get reimagined.
Why I Wrote This Book
I got it all wrong about engaging learners. It’s not about me pulling rabbits out of hats. It’s about helping students pull meaning out of their own work.
That’s why I wrote, The 27 Principles of Engagement: The Timeless Art of Capturing Attention and Inspiring Learning.
And it’s why I’m giving away the AudioBook for Free right now.
My cape has been retired. The rap career is officially over (you’re welcome, world). But my work to capture attention and commitment to learning is still going.
And the truth is, our students don’t need perfect performers. They need authentic guides.
When we stop trying to entertain and start focusing on what’s meaningful, social, and relevant, students stop asking, “Do we have to?” and start asking, “What’s next?”
