Actively Engaging Learners

Competent Digital Educators use digital technologies to foster learners’ active and creative engagement with a subject matter. They use digital technologies within pedagogic strategies that foster learners’ transversal skills, deep thinking and creative expression. They open up learning to new, real-world contexts, which involve learners themselves in hands-on activities, scientific investigation or complex problem solving, or in other ways increase learners’ active involvement in complex subject matters.

Typical activities

They use digital technologies to visualise and explain new concepts in a motivating and engaging way, e.g. by employing animations or videos.

They employ digital learning environments or activities which are motivating and engaging, e.g. games, quizzes.

They put learners’ active uses of digital technologies at the centre of the instructional process.

They use digital technologies to allow learners to actively engage with the subject matter at hand, e.g. using different senses, manipulating virtual objects, varying the problem set up to enquire into its structure, etc.

They select appropriate digital technologies for fostering active learning in a given learning context or for a specific learning objective.

They reflect on how suitable the different digital technologies used are in increasing learners’ active learning, and to adapt strategies and choices accordingly.

When mastering this competence by doing the work in the lab, you should be able to say:

I use digital technologies to visualise and explain new concepts in a motivating and engaging way, e.g. by employing animations or videos.

I employ digital learning activities which are motivating and engaging, e.g. games, quizzes.

I put learners’ active use of digital technologies at the centre of the instructional process.

I choose the most appropriate tool for fostering learner active engagement in a given learning context or for a specific learning objective.

I use a range of digital technologies to create a relevant, rich and effective digital learning environment, e.g. by addressing different sensory channels, learning styles and strategies, by methodologically varying activity types and group compositions.

I reflect on how effective the teaching strategies employed are in increasing learner engagement and active learning.

In the lab we will also:

Select, design, employ and orchestrate the use of digital technologies within the learning process according to their potential for fostering learners’ active, creative and critical engagement with the subject matter.

Reflect on how suitable the different digital technologies we use are in increasing learners’ active learning and adapt my strategies and choices accordingly.