I think it is a great idea at the beginning of the school year to do an interest inventory and ask students questions relating to background experiences. This will help you to understand where they are coming from and what their interests are. This way you can find meaningful ways to reach your students!

Students want to be engaged and they want to learn about things that matter to them. The most important thing to do is to get to know your students. Learn what their interests are and infuse that into your lesson plans. Allow room for student choice through project-based and cooperative learning.

If you can find ways to make it relevant to their lives, the results can be unbelievable. My students think I am the best math teacher ever. I teach high school construction, and we use a lot of math, especially fractions. When we start with fractions in the classroom, I intentionally teach it for about 10 minutes the way they have always been taught. But then I explain to them what fractions are in relation to measuring and building. After a day or 2, it clicks. And it has nothing to do with my great teaching, just the fact that they are applying it. No matter the subject you teach, there are ways to encourage the students to apply the information you are teaching to their own lives. If you are an academic teacher, find a CTE (Career, Technical) teacher to partner with. I guarantee there are opportunities, but you have to seek them out. The kids will love it.

One of the ways that I am able to better connect the material to my students needs is by simply asking them what they already know and what they want to know (often referred to as a KWL chart). The students will share information they already know, so I then know not to place a large focus on that information, and they also have a chance to participate in an open discussion about their interests and what they want to get out of the unit. You can then use those questions/interests when deciding what to teach. You can also try to include material that is going to reach all types of learning styles. Visual, social, audio, physical, etc. When a students senses are fully engaged and they are able to receive information in a way that is most beneficial to them they will be more engaged. Good luck!

Use real world examples. Find out what the students are interested in and find a way to relate it.

I would recommend Project-Based Learning. PBL is fantastic for personalized learning and building important 21st century skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and most importantly providing students with the opportunity to be creative and having choice and voice on what they create. I recommend you attend a PL on PBL if available in your school district or do research into this practice. It is a great motivator.

The first day of class, I like to do "About me", game. This game has the students describe what they like to do. Once, I gather everyhting, I plan out what I will read to the class. Children enjoy it more when they lsiten to what they like to do.

I think taking an interest survey at the beginning, middle and end of the year can let you see what your students are interested in at the current moment. I also think allowing student's to be apart of their own learning is a huge help as well. The students then feel like they have some control, and they're more willing to participate and engage in the learning itself. Keeping things modern and incorporating a lot of technology will help as well.

Relate material to students interests or home cultures. Create a culturally responsive classroom environment.

When doing math problems, change the names in the problems to your students' names, they will enjoy their nae being apart of the lesson. Also, get to know your students and what past times they have. Use some material that is sports related or cooking related, depending what students enjoy.

Create a student interest survey; get to know your students. Create a diverse range of strategies for lesson activities and find out what has the best participation and target results. Consider using online review quiz games; many students find this to be fun.

I think you should ask students to fill out a paper about their interests such as favorite hobbies, sports teams, celebrities, etc. You could then use these in your lesson plans along with current news that would intrigue students.