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CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
10 Attention Getters for All Teachers
Last Updated on 12 April 2023/ By Zineb DJOUB
A necessary and difficult task for teachers is grabbing their students’ attention in the classroom. This is necessary because learning occurs only when students’ minds are focused, concentrating, and reconstructing meaning. Yet, it is challenging since various stimuli of distraction are invading the world of students. Indeed, students’ distraction or lack of attention can be reflected in different attitudes. Students chat, play with their stuff, or act in a way that has no relation to their learning. So, what attention-getters do teachers need to use in the classroom? Before talking about attention getters, it’s so important not to think about distraction in terms of students’ motions that shift away from learning.
We can have students who are still, watching us, but their thoughts are within a context devoid of our goal of learning. We need to observe well our students while they’re learning to find out about those who are distracted by their thoughts or mind-wandering. No matter what distracts your students, you need to draw their attention to support them to learn. In this post, I’m suggesting 10 attention getters for all teachers regardless of the grade level and subject they teach. These will save your sanity. You’ll grab your students’ attention without raising your voice, draining your energy, and causing noise in the classroom.
1. Who is in the picture?
Because visual elements elicit human attention, you can use this attention-getter with your students. Show them a picture of a famous character which displays just half of his face, telling them: “Over here! Can you tell me who is in this picture“? You’ll get all students’ eyes on you. Give them just a few minutes to guess. If they can’t find that character’s name tell them about it and briefly state what S/he did.
2. Students’ names
You’ve assigned a task, but you noticed students are not doing it. They’re chatting and making noise. You asked them to keep quiet and do that task, but they paid no attention to you.
Take the list of students’ names and start calling (full names) some of them (mainly those you noticed were talking and disturbing). Ask each one of them to answer the task. Write your comments or notes regarding the student’s performance.
Even if you know all your students’ names, doing this will make you seem more serious. Students will get attentive and focused.
3. Look at me!
Changing your position and students’ seating can help you catch your students’ eyes. Walk to the back of the classroom and say aloud ” Students! Look at me”! They will all turn around. Tell them to turn their chairs in that direction, they’ll pay more attention. Standing there, carry on your lesson.
4. What’s inside the box?
Think about a question that stimulates your students’ thinking, a challenging task (short one), or new information that can interest them. Write these into pieces of paper or letters, fold them, and put them inside a box (prepare them at home).
To get students’ attention, ask one of them to take out one of those pieces of paper or letters and read it aloud to the rest of the class. Students will get busy answering that question, or task, or discussing the new information you are sharing with them. This attention-getter should be used at the beginning and/or the end of the lesson when students get easily distracted.
5. Who can….?
Write on the board this question in big letters WHO CAN EXPLAIN, COMPARE, JUSTIFY….? That question you pose relates to what you’re doing with your students. Reformulating this question in this way, instead of asking them directly to do things, can encourage your students to get more involved. Because each one of them wants to show he/she can do things more than anyone else. So, writing it on the board, you’ll get their attention, and you’ll get it more if you tell them they’ll be rewarded.
6. Guess the drawing
While students are busy talking (inattentive), call a student to the board and whisper in his ears to draw something (an animal, object, etc.). He needs to make this drawing big. Then, ask students to guess what their classmate is drawing, before he finishes. They are likely to get attentive because they are curious about that drawing. The one who makes the right guess will have the chance to draw on the board next time.
7. How about you?
Connecting students’ learning to their own experiences is not just a source of motivating them, but it can also make them more attentive to learning in the classroom. So, when you notice they’re distracted, ask about their opinions, ideas, things they do, prefer….. Switch to that even if you’re explaining or doing something that has nothing to do with the student’s life.
Devoting some time to students’ voices can make them more attentive. Because students like to talk about themselves, to know about each other, and also to know about you and learn from you. So, don’t forget to share your opinions and experiences with them (For instance, when you were a student).
8. A weird teacher’s act!
To get students’ attention, we can act in a way they are not expecting. You’re providing instructions, helping them practice and learn content. This is what your students expect from you and are used to.
But, if you act strangely (you’re still respectful) they’ll notice it even if they’re not attentive. For instance, you can do:
Run to the door, open it, and have a look outside, then close it and ask your students: “Have you heard a knock at the door“? They’ll tell you NO, or they’ll just keep on staring at you. You can reply: “Pay more attention“!
Another act that reminds me of one teacher I had in middle school. When she noticed we were getting inattentive, she opened one of the classroom windows, usually the one next to her desk, uttering loudly “LOOK over there”! And she looked outside, curiously, as if there was something serious going on outside. We all looked through those windows while she immediately closed the window and said “OK! Let’s go back to the last point”.
What’s important here is to change that ACT from time to time like moving your desk, knocking on the door while being inside the classroom, flashing the light on and off, collecting your stuff and pretending to leave the classroom to see if they notice it or not, singing, reading aloud something, speaking a different language, etc.
9. What’s this?
Hearing a sound in the middle of their chatter can be an attention-getter for your students. With young learners or children play some animal sounds which you can record on your PC. They’ll learn about the sounds’ names of different animals, have some fun, and stay more focused. If you’re teaching teenagers or adults, play the music of a movie or a song and ask them to guess its title.
10. Hey! I’ve something important for you
You can draw students’ attention by cueing them on important points. Statements like: “I’m going to tell you about an effective strategy to“…, “The next idea is so important“, “I may ask a question like the following one in the exam“, “Have you heard your classmate“? “WOW! A good idea comes to my mind right now“. ……. These can make them more attentive.
Use these attention getters to quieten your classroom and make even those who are not concentrating focus more. Variety is the key. So, use different tips and keep on reflecting on them. Remember that these attention-getters grab your students’ attention. Devote a little time to them. So, once you notice your students’ eyes are on you, carry on what you were doing before. I would love to get your feedback. All the best.
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