Creating an engaging and safe classroom environment is something all educators try to strive for. A 2018 Gallup Poll found that 29% of students were not engaged in learning and 24% are actively disengaged.¹ According to the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, “Student engagement has been linked to improved achievement, persistence and retention, with disengagement having a profound effect on student learning outcomes and cognitive development.”²

While student engagement is a top priority in education, nurturing a productive discussion space is quite the challenge, especially with online education and topics of sensitive nature. Student engagement can be negatively impacted by a lack of connection to the material taught and their own negative emotions which impact memory retention and recall. Anxiety and depression for example, can impair academic performance and interfere with how the brain encodes information.³ A survey from the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors found that almost 42% of college students were affected by anxiety and 36% by depression.⁴ In order to better engage with students, educators must first understand the neuroscience of learning and how to utilize the concept of plasticity for impactful learning.⁵

Felicia Porrazza, MDA, RDN, LDN, CPT, NBC-HWC, will discuss key skills educators can develop including active listening, empathy, and compassion. Felicia will also provide educators with strategies on how to create a safe learning environment that honors diversity.