Ways to Get Your Students' Attention

I know for me personally, one of the biggest challenges I faced was getting the attention of my students. Especially coming out of a brainstorming session, or a task that the kids were really fired up over. Quieting down a class is a required skill that the teacher needs in order to be effective.

Regardless, how long you have been teaching attention-getting techniques can be a necessary addition to the teacher’s toolbox.

 

Here are some suggestions to help you get your students’ attention:

·        Use a signal for zero noise…if I clap once, I want you all to keep silent and pay attention.

·        Wait for several moments until you have every student’s attention.

·        Check for comprehension frequently by asking questions.

·        Walk around the class to monitor the classroom.

·        Teacher proximity helps when you encounter students chatting.

·        Vary your voice…whisper and then raise your voice

·        Set a clear purpose for listening to a lesson by using visual or audio aids.

 

I just want to share a few of the Call-and-Responses that I have used over the years in my classroom that worked really well.

1.   One, two, three…Eyes on me.

2.   Give me five…Students raise their hands.

3.   I say Class…Students would respond Class, class

4.   If you hear my voice, clap once/twice/etc.

5.   Ready to rock?...Ready to roll!

6.   Are you listening?...Yes we are

 

Now just like practicing and modeling your rules and classroom procedures it’s always best to practice your attention signals as well. Explain how your students are supposed to respond to each one and provide ample opportunities for your students to try them out.

Determine which ones they like the best and stick with those. By the same token, you should also practice using nonverbal strategies with your kids, so they learn to pay attention to your visual cues as well. Example: your hand raised…which would be a quiet signal or ringing of a bell/chime or xylophone.

Now, the objective of these signals is obviously to get your students’ attention, but they also provide a means of boosting energy.

 

In order to keep your students’ focus once you have it, here are some strategies for you to try out.

·        I can’t say this enough…Get your students’ up and moving.

·        Vary participation structures and scenery…take class outside/etc.

·        Implement hands on lessons.

·        Use plenty of visuals

·        Spend less time talking...that’s why I love the mini-lesson [10-15 minutes of teacher talk.]

·        Provide opportunities for cooperative learning activities.

·        Provide many opportunities for your students to share out what they think.

·        Play music, videos, and other auditory material whenever possible.

 

If you think about it expecting children to sit quietly for hours every day is really not fair. Even as adults, you need a break every now and then.

An important note here…if you find that your class desperately needs to refocus before you engage them in a lesson or activity, then try a brain break—let them unwind and shake it out before proceeding.

I think you’ll find that the lesson will be much more productive if you let students get “just a little crazy.”

The Teacher's Lounge

I want to take a moment to discuss the teachers’ lounge. Yes, it is one of the few places where you get to socialize with other teachers and where you can get a little private space away from the schoolchildren. It can be a pleasant place to retreat for a quiet lunch or a chat with another friendly teacher over a cup of tea.

 

You can learn a lot about the inner life of the school and the unique school culture from the chitchat in the teachers’ lounge. You may also acquire important information about resources, situations, events, and the people you work with. You may even get some real mentorship and help from other teachers.

 

On the other hand, nothing can be more depressing for a new teacher than to listen to veteran teachers who hang out in the lounge and complain. All too often, you hear complaints about the building, the district policies, or the incompetence of a fellow teacher or administrator. “Office politics” can be dangerous if you find yourself on the wrong side.

I would recommend that the new teacher stay clear of the teachers’ lounge in the early days.

 

Why? Because going there can undermine your confidence. Wait until you feel proficient enough in your teaching duties to hold your own. Go there when you need help but give yourself time to build confidence in your own abilities. You do not want to be vulnerable or negatively influenced by more experienced – and perhaps more cynical – teachers.

 

I have been in the teaching business for 20 years and I can count the times on one hand that I have frequented the lounge. School environments and cultures differ all over the world, but the teachers’ lounges do tend to be a ‘hotbed’ for internal politics and venting of frustrations.

 

My intent is not to scare you away from the lounge – after all, it can be a place to relax and not every teacher complains. However, I think initially your time would be better spent -- and much more productive -- inside your classroom, preparing lessons and procuring the resources you need to teach your children.

 

 

Professionalism counts…

 

Let me ask you something. When you go into the office of a doctor, a dentist, or a lawyer, what do you normally see hanging on the wall? Why, it is a diploma (or several), of course!

 

I often hear teachers complain that they are not treated like professionals. More often than not, these are the same individuals whining about building policies or gossiping about other people. Typically, they duck responsibility, parade around in jeans daily, and do not have their teaching credentials posted.

 

Please hear me out. I am not suggesting that simply because you do not have your teaching diploma(s) on the wall of your classroom or office that you are not a professional. But rather, as a professional, you should want your students and their parents to see your credentials. It is not about ego but about being a member of an honorable profession.

 

Your diploma clearly shows our boys and girls what can be done when you put your mind to it. Display it proudly!

Teaching your students how to select “Just Right” books

Often times during my teaching career I would ask my students what do you have to do to become a good reader. And a lot of times I’d hear responses such as read hard books and big words. I’d end up telling them that what would be the point of reading nothing but hard books if you couldn’t make sense of what you were reading.

After all, the reason we read is to get information. But I’d also tell them that reading nothing, but easy books doesn’t help you either to grow as a reader. Though I will say that easy books are great for developing fluency in beginning readers.

When it came to teaching my 4^th and 5^th grade students how to select a just right book, I outlined some factors for them to consider. And to that point, I prepared an anchor chart of things to consider that I kept posted in a visible place in the class so they could always refer back to it if needed.

So, I told my students that to continue to grow as readers one needs to read “just right” books. And of course, when I told my students this, they would have a puzzled look on their faces. So, I further explained just what I meant.

In the first place a just right book has to be a book that you find interesting and perhaps has a captivating title.

Perhaps you are familiar with the author and enjoy reading their kind of books. For example: Kate Dicamillo  who wrote Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, The Tiger Rising,and more. Barbara Park: The Juni B. Jones series.

It’s a book that you can read without too much difficulty and more importantly you understand what you are reading.

The print size is not too small or too big.

You understand the plot and can easily predict what may happen.

There are just a few words per page that you don’t know. I would have my students always perform this test when they were about to select a book from either the media center or my classroom library.

I would tell scan over the first few pages – usually about 5 pages or so and if there were

5 words on every page that they didn’t know, then that book would be too hard for them to enjoy and comprehend. But on the other hand, if the student scanned the first 5 pages and found no more than 5 words on any one page that they didn’t know, then that would be considered a just right book.

Conversely, if a student knows every single word on the first 5 pages [providing they can tell you what they’ve read] then the book would be considered too easy.

To be clear, it’s important to challenge children just a bit to keep them growing and learning new vocabulary.   But the key here is that the student must be able to understand what they are reading.

The approach I always took with my students was to explicitly teach how to choose a just right book by thinking out loud, and model just what that looks like. This is something that I practiced with them often until I felt that my students could demonstrate good judgement in selecting just right books.

I feel this point needs mentioning, if a child was really interested in a book that was way to difficult for them to read right now, I would tell the child that perhaps later on in the year that book might be appropriate for you. Another thing that you can do is get with the parent to see if they could read that book to their child.

Now I feel that this point bears repeating:

Let your students choose the books that they want to read in your classroom just as long as it’s appropriate.

That’s why it’s crucial that you have an excellent classroom / school library for students to have lots of choices for selecting books.

I will tell you that providing choice for your students will contribute to their growth as readers.

Reading competence is closely associated with the amount of time that children spend reading. That’s why I feel strongly that students [grades 4 & above] should independently read books of their own choosing for 30 minutes every day – Monday through Friday.