Instructional techniques that seek to keep students actively engaged in the learning process

As Anita Archer proclaims, “learning is not a spectator sport.” Thus, instruction should be highly interactive, elicit frequent student response, and implement strategies that involve all students in the learning process.

• Provide about 3 to 5 opportunities for students to respond per instructional minute (MacSuga-Gage & Simonsen, 2015).
• Engage all students to respond through spoken (e.g. choral response), written (e.g. whiteboard formative assessment), or non-verbal techniques (e.g. clap, nod, thumbs up/down). 
• Intensifying response opportunities increases both instructional and behavioral support for students (Van Camp et al., 2020 as cited by IRIS).

Engaging students in the learning process requires careful, deliberate planning. Interactive instruction supports engagement and content retention, which is critical to long-term student success.

Anita Archer’s archerisms