How Engaged Learners Succeed: The Lemons-Aid Way

"Are any of you in Bermuda? Come back to me. Engage your minds! No cognitive vacations!" These are comments students hear in my classroom as I watch them, making sure their minds are engaged. It's normal for students' minds to wander when they're bored, tired, distracted, worried, or a task is hard. My mind wanders, too. So does yours. Have you ever been reading a book and your eyes fall on all the words...you turn the page...and then you realize, "I have no idea what I just read!" Has it happened to you while driving where you can't remember the last five miles? Whelp! I daydream about the pink sand and rocky shores on my favorite beach in Bermuda. I call this unplugged brain a "cognitive vacation." The brain says, "See ya! I'm headed somewhere a little more interesting."