Back to school is around the corner, and a lot of teachers and administrators are struggling to come up with ways to get students engaged and foster a culture of academic integrity. But it isn’t hard. It just means going back to these basic principles:
Elevate student engagement this year and foster academic integrity by going back to the basics. (Photo by Jose Aljovin on Unsplash)
- Empowering students with skills, mindsets, and tools to get the job done. This means embracing tech tools like AI, cameras, social media, and other digital tools that are bedrock means for research, building connections, and communicating IRL. Look, you’re doing it right now reading this post to learn, right? So why not allow your students to do the same?
- Providing a reason and purpose for assignments other than “it’s on the test.” Really, who cares about tests? But we all care about our friends, family, communities, and future. So create assignments that allow students to have a connection to or interaction with the world around them, and allows them to use their hard work to create a meaningful impact.
- Agency (formerly called “voice and choice”) is what any self-actualized human wants: free will and self-determination. That doesn’t mean kids can do whatever they want, it simply means giving students some measure of control over how they interact with our curriculum and how they express their knowledge. Make a sandbox with boundaries, create reasonable outcomes, then let them play.
These are the three big takeaways I’ve learned as a teacher for 26 years, but there’s plenty of research to back up my anecdotal evidence–you can see one such study here.
Check out my how-to guide to creating authentic learning experiences like these, including case studies, sample assignments, and advice on how to grade projects like this. I also published two lesson plans here on the Forum:
What’s your experience been like? What other approaches would you recommend?
July 20, 2025 .
English
So powerful Michael - I read your post first on LinkedIn, it really expressed what I see as meaningful learning.
When I think about how we use technology in our jobs - even as educators - and then don’t provide the same or similar experiences for students in the classroom - it seems so unbelievable.
Thanks for linking to your book and to your helpful posts in this Community. There are so many creative ways to reach and teach our students, and you point out a wonderful way forward.
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