Title: The ultimate student engagement observation checklist - Classcraft Blog - Resource hub for schools and districts
Headings: The ultimate student engagement observation checklist
The ultimate student engagement observation checklist
4 great classroom observation checklists for student engagement
1. Social and emotional markers checklist
☑ Is there evidence to suggest that students feel safe respectfully sharing an unpopular opinion or a view that may challenge their teacher?
☑ Does the teacher create a “growth mindset” atmosphere in the classroom?
☑ Are student successes celebrated?
☑ Is student misbehavior redirected through clear, matter-of-fact instructions?
☑ Are consequences clear, immediate, predictable, and connected to specific behaviors?
☑ Are student voices heard as often as the teacher’s voice?
☑ Is there evidence of student joy in the classroom?
☑ Is there evidence of teacher joy in their teaching work?
2. Intellectual markers checklist
☑ Does every student have an opportunity to share their thinking verbally, visually, or through writing?
☑ Does the teacher use strategies to solicit participation from every student in the room?
☑ Are objectives clear and framed around higher-order-thinking questions?
☑ Are objectives relevant to students? Are students told why a lesson is relevant?
☑ Do students have the opportunity to discuss higher-order-thinking questions with their peers?
☑ Does classroom discussion move from peer to peer, allowing them to respond to peer thinking, instead of always moving between teacher and student?
☑ Do students have the opportunity to solve problems collaboratively with their peers?
☑ Are there scaffolds in place to help all students meet the same objectives?
☑ Is there evidence that assignments have been differentiated based on student needs?
☑ Is risk-taking encouraged in a safe learning environment?
☑ Does the teacher have strategies for checking all students’ understanding?
☑ Are high standards for student behavior and work quality apparent in the classroom?
3. Physical markers checklist
☑ Are desks or seats arranged to facilitate discussion or collaboration? Is the desk or seat arrangement student-centered?
☑ Are there options for flexible seating?
☑ Do classroom visuals support content or skill goals from the curriculum? Do classroom visuals enhance or support student understanding of the material?
4. Structural markers checklist
☑ Are there clear routines and procedures in place that students have learned?
☑ Are lessons structured to include multiple learning modalities?
☑ Are lessons structured to avoid downtime?
☑ Do lessons include frequently changing tasks or activities?
☑ Are “brain breaks” present in the lesson structure?
Find what works for your students

Content: The following prompts may help you establish a plan to make your students feel included in their learning. ☑ Is there evidence to suggest that students feel safe respectfully sharing an unpopular opinion or a view that may challenge their teacher? Consider how the teacher reacts to student voices in the classroom, particularly those that, in an appropriate manner, challenge the material or express disagreement. Are genuine student voices heard? Is a range of student voices heard? ☑ Does the teacher create a “growth mindset” atmosphere in the classroom? Good classrooms create an environment that encourages growth. Evidence of such a growth mindset atmosphere may be observed through the teacher’s language as students encounter challenges or through visuals with growth mindset messages in the room. For example, a student who states “I can’t do this” might be encouraged to continue trying with a positive statement such as, “Don’t worry! You’ll get better with practice.”