4th Grader, Evan, engaged when allowed to choose what he wanted to write. Immersion took hold and Super Squirrel evolved.
You know the feeling. That one moment, the moment your students are so enthralled. You could walk out of the room, grab a cup of coffee, hang out in the hallway for a few minutes and never be missed.
Immersion isn’t only what’s posted on the wall. It is a frame of mind when the intensity of the project is so enveloping, nothing else exists. Lent (2006) refers to immersion as the experience. The experience of losing one’s self in the task at hand.
How do you get there?
1. Motivate through choice.
2. Set goals and outcomes that are purposeful.
3. Publish the project, writing, or task somewhere-somehow.
4. Connect, connect, connect with your students.
5. Create an environment that speaks of students’ successes – all types of successes.