Participation is about getting involved: asking questions, answering questions, thinking things through and having a go. Through this range of participation we move from no understanding at all to learning, practising, perfecting and finally mastering.

If we sat and purely listened or watched someone explaining how to do something we’d be unlikely to retain the process or knowledge. By participating we enable our brain to store the process or knowledge.

This is where we realise the value of the various styles of learning: visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic. Most of us use and prefer at least a couple but many of us utilise different styles for different areas of learning. All of these learning styles require our participation or more colloquially, for our brains to engage. If a learner is engaged with the learning, they will make progress and learn.

Consequently, when planning lessons to address a specific area of learning, it’s essential to understand the interests and motivations of the students. Having a hook - which engages their interest - will lead to their positive participation and ultimate success.

Having attended a number of online courses during lockdown, the better ones were those which encouraged engagement and offered various stimuli, not simply a PowerPoint presentation with someone speaking. I always recall a friend’s son remarking of his High School teachers teaching through, “Death by PowerPoint!”. The notion still amuses me but knowing how commercial brands have ready made study packs and how short of time teaching staff are; this opinion doesn’t surprise me at all. I prefer to create my own version mixed with other media because learners need variety to stimulate the senses and engage the brain.