Learner initial engagement and/or involvement in learning tasks is monitored.

• suggests more than simple on-task behavior

• is active, and implies more than passive involvement and responding minimally to the demands of a learning task

Involvement:

• suggests even deeper immersion in learning than engagement

• is usually enhanced when learners interact with each other in learning tasks

Monitoring strategies may include:

• soliciting responses from a variety of learners in the class to ascertain that learners are "with" the lesson and are actively engaged in learning
• scanning around the room at the beginning of a learning task

Learners in a kindergarten class are engaged in sequencing flash-cards in the order of the first ten letters of the alphabet, while the teacher moves throughout the classroom and observes learners’ responses. Two learners at one table appear confused about the nature of the task and the order of the alphabet. The teacher demonstrates how to order the flash cards and asks a few questions to check for learner understanding. The learners then work together to order the flash cards now that they have observed the teacher's demonstration.

In a fifth-grade media lesson, learners are reviewing the various resources for a research paper. The media specialist scans the media center and notices a confused learner scrolling the computer screen arbitrarily. The media specialist asks about the learner’s chosen topic, suggests a number of appropriate web sites and guides the learner through a series of steps to get appropriate information for the research paper.

Secondary

During a seventh-grade lesson on isosceles triangles, learners construct triangles using protractors. The teacher moves among the learners and observes that a few learners cannot decide about the appropriate steps to complete the activity. The teacher approaches these learners and asks a series of questions that clarify appropriate steps for the activity and that engage and involve learners in greater understanding.