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2.8 Notes: How to prevent student difficulties and promote engagement [± 60 minutes]

Learning outcome: 

  • LO8: Identify how attention, mind-wandering, and illusions of competence explain student difficulties and engagement.

1. Introduction

The previous set of notes within this unit looked at how, as a teacher, you can keep students motivated and committed to their learning journey and academic performance. In doing so, the notes explored the factors that determine and impact student motivation and performance. That said, these factors are not the only influencers on performance and engagement. Additional psychological, cognitive, and behavioral aspects affect how well students perform during a learning experience and how much they engage (with the content, their teacher, and their peers) within their learning environments.

These notes therefore look at the impact that attention, mind-wandering, and illusions of competence have on student performance and engagement. In particular, this set of notes explores how these factors may explain student difficulties.