One of the most common things I hear from students—whether they’re in Year 6 or Year 12—is this:
“It’s so boring when we just get talked at the whole time.”
They’re not being rude or dismissive. They’re being honest. And they’re not alone.Regardless of their learning style or profile, most students find it hard to stay focused and engaged when the only approach used in the classroom is passive listening.
The good news? Engaging students more meaningfully doesn’t require a complete overhaul. In fact, small, intentional changes to how lessons are structured and content delivered can bring significant benefits to engagement, focus, and learning outcomes. It also doesn’t have to add to a teachers workload.
Movement Matters
Movement isn’t a distraction from learning—it’s a powerful tool to support it. Giving students the opportunity to get out of their seats, shift their physical perspective, or engage in short, purposeful movement can reset their attention and boost cognitive processing.
Whether it’s rotating through stations, participating in a think-pair-share while standing, or simply getting up to add ideas to the board, movement makes a difference. It’s not about losing control—it’s about using the energy in the room to enhance learning.
Matt Pittman’s article on Edutopia on flexible seating touches on this beautifully. It’s a great reminder that sometimes the simplest shifts—like how and where students learn—can spark renewed focus and motivation.
Mix Up the Method
Here’s the truth: no single teaching method works for every student—or every moment. That’s why it’s so important to vary how we deliver content throughout a lesson.
One simple structure that works well is:
Talk → Demonstrate → Talk → Demonstrate
It breaks up the flow, re-engages attention, and helps students apply what they’re learning instead of just passively absorbing it.
Try weaving in different approaches such as:
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Short video clips
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Small group work
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Think-pair-share discussions
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Whiteboard responses
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Quick quizzes or reflection questions
These small shifts don’t take more time—they just take a bit of planning. But the payoff is worth it. Students stay more engaged, retain more information, and feel more connected to the learning process.
Spaced Retrieval: Helping Students Remember More and Forget Less
Many students don’t struggle because they didn’t understand the material—they struggle because they didn’t retain it.
That’s where spaced retrieval comes in. It’s a powerful, research-backed strategy designed to interrupt the forgetting curve and strengthen long-term memory. Put simply, we want to support students to remember more and forget less (learn more about this in a previous blog on the forgetting curve).
It’s easy to integrate into everyday teaching:
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Start the lesson with a brief review or mini quiz on the previous lesson’s content.
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End the lesson by recapping the key ideas—or better yet, ask the students to summarise or reflect on what they’ve learned.
This regular recall helps consolidate learning and move it from short-term to long-term memory.
It’s not about “more testing”—it’s about giving students the chance to revisit, recall, and lock in what matters.
Small Changes, Big Impact
This isn’t about creating more work—it’s about rethinking how we use the time and tools we already have. A few small shifts in structure, delivery, and review can lead to big improvements in student outcomes.
Whether it’s introducing movement, mixing up teaching methods, or building in spaced retrieval, these are tweaks that make classrooms more engaging—and learning more effective.
Let’s keep finding ways to help students stay focused, curious, and confident in their learning.
If you’re a parent wanting to learn more about how we support students to stay engaged, organised, and motivated—or a school looking to explore professional development for your staff or in-class workshops for students—we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch here.
