Engaged Learning: Beyond the Definition  

An interview with Dr. Lori Hensold, Director of IL-MTSS Network 

We can’t wait for our NIU Engaged Learning Conference, coming up on January 24, 2025, in Normal! To help us prepare, we sat down with Dr. Lori Hensold, Director of IL-MTSS Network, to learn more about what “engaged learning” means to her and what you can expect at the conference.

Can you start out by telling me a little bit about what engaged learning means to you and why it’s important for teachers and students?

Before I give my definition, I want to say that one of the reasons I’m excited about this conference is because we’re co-hosting it with NIU STEAM, and NIU STEAM Director Dr. Kristin Brynteson and I will be co-presenting our keynote presentation, “Engaged Learning: Beyond the Definition.” The two of us have different orientations and different academic backgrounds, so we won’t 100 percent agree on our approach to engaged learning – which is great! There are many different definitions of “engaged learning” within the field of education – which is why our presentation will be very interactive, helping folks come to their own understanding.

For me, engaged learning is a larger umbrella for a type of learning that’s not just “sitting and getting.” When you’re engaged, you’re not sitting and listening to a lecture. Instead, you’re involved in actively producing something, and that journey helps you to learn as you go. Whether you’re a first grader trying to sort shapes or an adult learner trying to understand a complex concept, that hands-on, active journey is very important.

Why is engaged learning good for students?

The research about engaged learning is very compelling. The studies – particularly this one by Appleton, Christenson and Furlong (2008) – show that student engagement is the primary predictor of school completion or drop out. It’s even more important than socio-economic status, home environment and other factors related to the student’s previous academic progress.

Of course, we don’t want to wait until students drop out of school, so in addition to lowering dropout rates, engagement increases students’ desire to participate in learning, improves academic performance, improves classroom behavior and helps students develop healthier relationships. It’s positive in many ways.

What about engaged learning for educators? Why is ongoing professional development, such as this conference, important?

Most educators, myself included, have a commitment to lifelong learning. We always want to be learning something new! But the reality of life is that we get busy, and it’s hard to get that learning for ourselves, even though a lot of resources are out there. Coming to a conference is really helpful because it’s a chance to meet other professionals doing similar things and talk about what’s working, what’s not working, and get some new fresh ideas for our classrooms.

Educator PD is also very important because the student body is changing, and the things we used to do aren’t necessarily effective anymore. Once upon a time, students were much more homogeneous. We didn’t have as many English Language Learners, as much diversity of culture, and as much diversity of social class in classrooms when I was growing up. Now we have a more diverse set of students, and their needs have changed. The instruction that I received back when I was in the 4th grade, or even in college getting my teaching degree, doesn’t work well for all kids anymore. We have to be willing to change as educators. And I think this conference is a fun, active, engaged way to do that.

I often hear that teachers are overwhelmed, and their days are very full with teaching to state standards, testing and other requirements. How can student engagement fit into all that teachers are required to do in the classroom?

Often, we think of these strategies as something else to put on our plates. But, in reality, student engagement is a different way of teaching and learning that’s integrated throughout all you do in the day. Once your students are engaged and excited about their own learning, they are taking much of the burden off you. They’re actively pursuing knowledge, which is more effective and efficient than the teacher having to try and ‘dispense’ knowledge into their brains! It’s also way more fun because you get to see those light bulbs come on as students begin to understand.

Whether I’m teaching children or adults, I’m always thinking about how to engage learners, and for me that means taking myself out of the spotlight. Instead of being “the sage on the stage,” I think of myself as a facilitator – I’m facilitating learning for the students in the room. Because for that learning to stick, it has to connect for them and be meaningful. Otherwise, they’re just memorizing things that, as we all know, will later be forgotten!

So, the idea of engagement being an approach to learning, as opposed to one more thing I have to check off my list, is helpful.

Why should educators attend the NIU Engaged Learning Conference?

You know, once upon a time, PD was something you did to staff, instead of something they actively pursued. At this conference, our goal is to enact engaged learning in every session so that teachers will be active participants in their own learning. Our keynote and the breakout sessions will be very interactive.

It’s also an amazing chance to bring together STEAM – the hands-on activities that I think of as the “fun stuff” in school – with basic literacy and math skills. Too often, we pull students out of science, technology, art or engineering classes for basic reading or math tutoring. The idea used to be that you had to master the basics before you were allowed to move on to the fun part of learning.

But really, STEM and STEAM projects require all sorts of fundamental skills, and they’re very motivating to students. If your students are into superheroes, you can have them read about their favorite superhero and work on their reading skills. You can have them create their own comic books to build literacy even more. They can learn math and physics concepts by analyzing how Spider Man can swing on a web. The opportunities are endless and exploring them can make teaching and learning more fun – helping us to make our students into lifelong learners. And isn’t that our ultimate goal?

Learn more about the conference and register on the NIU Engaged Learning Conference website.