5 proven ways to engage students in the age of TikTok and tech

How students learn has changed dramatically over the past decade — and so have the tools and strategies available to support them. To keep up, today’s classrooms and lesson structures need to evolve too, so they can better meet the needs of modern learners.

As a teacher, you're already adapting every day, and often while managing a packed schedule. That’s why having the right teaching tools, tactics, and support in your corner is so important. 

By making small, meaningful shifts in your approach and embracing technology that supports both teaching and learning, you can discover fresh ways to reach young minds and drive academic progress, all while keeping your busy schedule manageable.

After reading this guide, you can expect to walk away with these five tangible strategies that you can implement today:

• Tip 1. Chunk your lesson structures
• Tip 2. Make learning stick: quizzes & class discussion
• Tip 3. Use colour theory to your advantage
• Tip 4. Foster a growth mindset for long-term success
• Tip 5. Targeted learning that meets students where they’re at

The current landscape is en route to change

Before we kick off, it’s worth acknowledging that today’s students are growing up in a fast-paced, digital world. To truly support their growth, educators have an exciting opportunity to reimagine learning in ways that are more interactive and engaging. 

Everything’s on demand now — Netflix, TikTok, Spotify. So our lessons need to reflect that too. They need to be short, sharp, and varied.
- Adam King, Head of Emerging Technologies at Suncoast Christian College 

By embracing modern, research-backed strategies and tech-enabled approaches, you can better connect with diverse learners and open up new pathways to deeper engagement.

And when it comes to edtech, Atomi’s research shows that:

• 74% of educators believe that technology enhances the learning experience
• 78% of educators say it supports differentiation
• 58% of educators report that students are more engaged when technology is integrated into lessons

The shift in how we learn is already underway, and it’s opening the door to more personalised, effective, and future-ready learning. 

But don’t worry: managing change in education doesn’t mean flipping everything upside down overnight. It’s about making smart, strategic moves that use modern tools to your advantage. Plus, you’re not on your own — we’re here to help.

Five practical tips to support the modern-day student

Here are five practical tips for those leading the charge on change.

Tip 1. Chunk your lesson structures

Today’s students scroll, swipe, and tap their way through content — absorbing information fast, in short bursts. And while we’re not trying to compete with TikTok, we are trying to teach in a world where attention spans are shorter and focus is harder to hold. 

That’s where cognitive load theory and chunking come in. Rather than tackling a topic all at once, chunking breaks it into clear parts focused on just one idea or skill.

Each chunk becomes a little milestone students can mentally check off, which keeps them motivated and feeling like they’re making progress.

Ready to try it out? Here are five quick tips to apply chunking in your lessons:

• Action 1: Break big topics into smaller parts
• Application 1: Each chunk should focus on just one key concept, skill, or question.
• Action 2: Label each chunk clearly
• Application 2: Use headings, icons, or numbers so students can follow the flow.
• Action 3: Keep it short and structured
• Application 3: Aim for around 5-15 minutes per chunk, followed by a quick check-in or activity.
• Action 4: Add mini check-ins
• Application 4: Use retrieval questions or reflection points between chunks to reinforce learning and create space between the next chunk.
• Action 5: Build from easy to challenging‍
• Application 5: Start with low-floor entry points and increase complexity to keep everyone included.

We often scaffold for students with learning needs. But chunking and pacing helps all students — not just some.
- Leon van Niekerk, Principal of Caloundra City Private School

Atomi Tip: Want to deliver lessons that are short, sharp and designed for the times? With Atomi, you gain access to a growing library of short videos and interactive content. That's because Atomi is designed to help you break down complex classroom topics into bite-sized, easy-to-digest lessons that keep students engaged and on track — perfect for whole-class instruction or independent revision.

Tip 2. Make learning stick: quizzes, questions & class discussion

To move knowledge from short-term to long-term memory, students need to do more than just listen. They need to pause, process and participate.

Quick quizzes and discussions turn passive listeners into active learners, helping the material stick.

Try this in your classroom:

• Action 1: Insert short quizzes between chunks
• Application 1: Use 3–5 quick questions to check for understanding before moving on.
• Action 1: Ask open-ended questions
• Application 2: “Why do you think...?” “What would happen if...?” “How does this connect to...?”
• Action 3: Add reflective pauses
• Application 3: Give students 1–2 minutes to jot down takeaways or discuss with a partner.
• Action 4: Run live polls or digital quizzes
• Application 4: Use your LMS or tools like Atomi’s Push to Class feature to make it seamless.
• Action 5: Use results to adapt

Application 5: If many students miss the same question, revisit the concept in a new way.

In junior years (Years 7–8), Atomi videos are up to two minutes long and sandwiched between other elements, such as text, quiz questions, and checkpoints. We craft these interactive lessons because we’ve found that younger students won’t stick around for a longer video. From Years 9–12, we use slightly longer videos to reflect the increased depth and difficulty of the content–six minutes is the sweet spot.

Atomi Tip: Want to easily gain actionable insight into how students are progressing? With Atomi, you can track real-time engagement and performance data. Use Atomi’s markbook tool, and you can instantly see how classes are going, both overall and at a student-by-student level. 

Tip 3. Use colour theory to your advantage

Colour theory isn’t just about making things look nice. It’s a real learning tool.

When used on purpose, colour can help students focus, avoid overload, and retain information.

Research shows that intentional colour use boosts memory, minimises distractions, and helps students better navigate content.

• Action 1: Define a consistent colour system
• Application 1: Example: Blue = key terms, Yellow = definitions, Grey = optional info
• Action 2: Colour-code your headings
• Application 2: Helps students instantly spot sections, sub-points, and extensions.
• Action 3: Highlight (but don’t overload)
• Application 3: Use bold colours only for the most important points. Stick to 2–3 colours max per lesson or resource.
• Action 4: Make materials more accessible
• Application 3: Use high contrast combinations for readability. Avoid red/green pairings — not accessible for colourblind students
• Action 5: Use colour to aid revision
• Application 5: Encourage students to colour-code their notes or highlight key ideas when reviewing lessons.

Colour is a teaching tool, just like text boxes or diagrams. It conveys meaning, emphasis and hierarchy. But we only want to use it where it counts, so we don’t distract or overwhelm learners.

Tip 4. Foster a growth mindset for long-term success

When students think their intellect is set in stone, learning can feel like a pass/fail game. But if they believe effort helps them get better, they can stick with it — even when things get tough.

That’s what having a growth mindset is all about: knowing you can improve with practice. Teachers can help build this mindset every day with simple, intentional encouragement.

Research shows that those with a growth mindset keep improving, while those stuck in a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges and give up sooner.

Try these strategies to foster a growth mindset among your learners:

• Action 1: Reframe mistakes as part of the process
• Application 1: Normalise failure and make it clear that struggling = learning.
• Action 2: Praise the process, not the person.
• Application 2: Focus on effort, strategy, and persistence instead of saying “you’re smart”
• Action 3: Teach the power of “yet”
• Application 3: Encourage students to say, “I can’t do this yet” — a subtle shift that builds confidence
• Action 4: Position feedback as fuel
• Application 4: Make it clear that feedback helps them grow, not something to fear or avoid
• Action 5: Remind students that ability is built

Application 4: Talk openly about how skills develop with time, practice and support

Tip 5. Targeted learning that meets students where they’re at 

When students receive revision materials tailored to their learning needs, they feel more confident and can take greater ownership of their learning.

With tools like Atomi, you can use quizzes and markbook results to pinpoint exactly where students are struggling and assign targeted resources to support them. It’s a simple way to empower learners while saving you time, so you can focus your teaching efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact.

Whether it's tailored classroom work or homework revision, having access to the right resources for a student's current learning level helps them stay on track. With Atomi, it all lives in one place — so students always know where to go, and teachers can spend less time chasing and more time teaching.

Atomi Tip: Technology in the classroom has the potential to solve the biggest headaches facing teachers across the country. With the right solutions in place, educators can fast-track admin tasks and reallocate their time and resources into high-impact teaching strategies, like differentiated instruction through tech-driven platforms like Atomi.

Try Atomi for free and start boosting student engagement today

Today’s students don’t learn the same way they did a generation ago — and your teaching approaches need to reflect that. Small, intentional changes can make a big difference. 

Whether you’re delivering bite-sized lessons, checking in with quick quizzes, or giving students easy access to tailored revision materials, Atomi is designed to enable modern, flexible, student-centered learning.

It’s like having a digital co-teacher—another way to support students, not replace your craft.
- Leon van Niekerk, Principal of Caloundra City Private School

With curriculum-aligned content, built-in engagement features, and resources that students can access anytime, Atomi helps bring these high-impact teaching strategies to life. Try Atomi for free.

Keep Learning: Watch our recent webinar on “Keeping students engaged in the digital era”, unpacking practical tips for how educators can cut through the noise and use digital tools to life engagement. Watch on demand.

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