A disengaged student is not always a struggling learner. This episode challenges the assumption that disengagement is a behavior problem and reframes it as a potential issue of misalignment between the learner and the environment. Through a concrete example, it highlights how students can demonstrate focus, persistence, and creativity outside of school, yet appear disengaged in class. Educators are invited to rethink engagement as a design issue and reflect on how to connect learning to students’ existing strengths without lowering expectations.

This episode draws in part on research in:

• Student Engagement Theory (Fredricks, Blumenfeld & Paris)
• Self-Determination Theory — competence, autonomy, relatedness (Deci & Ryan)
• Person-Environment Fit in Education (Eccles & Midgley)

• Transfer of learning & context-dependent performance (Perkins & Salomon)
• Motivation and classroom design (Reeve; Hattie)