I do not really have an answer for how to up engagement and participation in the classroom.
I have not taught in the classroom before unlike many people in the program. My background with children and teens came from babysitting and Girl Guides. I have been a baby sitter since I was about 12 and was a Girl Guide leader for a Pathfinder group in Halifax, Nova Scotia for about a year and a half.
What I do know about engagement is that people are often more engaged in things when they are given a choice in some part of it. This could mean picking the people that they work with in group projects or picking what they can do from two or three options.
I have also heard that when you are excited, your students will also be excited.
I am very excited to look into my spiral of inquiry over the course of my practicums.