Engagement - At What cost?

No one can would deny the importance of student engagement, and I am not going to dismiss it. 

As professionals, we should always question the 'unquestionable'. The 'technology is essential' 'class size is paramount' and  'testing is bad'. Everything has its place, but within reason. I see student engagement as no different. 

Five (possible) consequences of student engagement at all cost.

1. Students do not 'expand their world'. Students following their passions is popular, no doubt because of the engagement that 'passion led learning' brings. No one would question the great integrated learning that can occur, and the high levels of student engagement. However, if a student is not exposed to new ideas and concepts, their 'passions' would be very limited. How is a child meant to know they love Space, Africa or Maui Dolphins without being exposed? When does a child move beyond their 'Train and Truck' fascination and into Nanotechnology without exposure? As teachers, we need to know our student passions, and at times allow them to follow them. However, I would hate for us to forget to introduce them to potentially new life-long passions.
2. Extrinsically motivated kids eager for the end (extrinsic) outcome Another possibility for teachers that want engagement at all costs is to extrinsically reward students for an end result, not progress, effort or resilience. I recently read a post about an American school that had charms  (i.e. charm bracelets) that students received when they passed specific maths tests and completed a series of reading books. With any reward system, I would question if the engagement is with the end reward or the journey to get there. In other words, does the learner that progresses in their maths thinking, takes a risk in their learning but ultimately fails a test resulting in not getting a 'maths charm' feel engaged to take another risk next time? Or will they attempt to rope-learn the 'teachers answer' in order to get an extrinsic reward.
3. Subject Bias. 'Either reward everything or reward nothing'. In many ways, I agree with the above statement. By having some learning areas 'reward worthy' e.g. Maths Charms (above) and other learning areas left out (as usual, Science is probably the loser) we are telling our learners "This is important, this is not". 
4. Fixed Mindsets. If we reward a child for winning and scoring highly in a test, that child learns that winning or scoring high in tests is something ingrained - they are a winner, they are smart. But if winning makes us a winner and scoring high scores makes us smart, then losing makes us a loser and scoring low makes us not smart. (Josh Waitzman). 
5. No control of student learning pathways. I love the fact that students can have multiple learning pathways to reach the same learning outcome - that one learner can sing a song, another record a video, another create a model, yet all achieve. Where we need to not throw the baby out with the bath water is forgetting to ensure students have a wide variety of learning opportunities. Yes, some learners may be highly motivated editing videos, but if they are not forced into other pathways (acting on the video) a fixed mindset of 'I am good at editing and not acting' may eventuate.

My thinking in this post has all come about from my daughter attending her second ever school assembly and being presented with a certificate. Every day since I have been asked if it is Assembly day, and every Assembly Day since a look of disappointment has set in from the lack of said extrinsic reward. The thing is, she loves learning and loves school, the certificate was like a drug, giving her instant gratification, but she is now hanging out for more.

My ideal would be a balance. Students who are engaged, but not through extrinsic sources and fun for the sake of it, rather through intrinsically feeling great for taking a risk, through adults praising them for their efforts and for passionate teachers exposing them to the world.