Lisa,
Great strategy. Sounds like you're taking just enough time to reshuffle, regroup, and refocus, then back to studies. Great.
Barry Westling
I find by telling a 2-5min story from my expierences that relates to the topic helps them to re-focus...and gives some comic relief when it's a deep area.
Donald,
Sometimes when students are distracted (or distracting others), active engagement is absolutely needed. This means involving them, getting them to answer questions, or seeking their participation in the discussion or perhaps a lab activity. One thing is for sure, when students zone out, if the instructor doesn't intervene, student interest will begin to diminish.
Barry Westling
I always try to make eye contact during my classes and get the students active and particpate in each class.
Melissa,
A good point, that sometimes students just need a little nudging to keep their attention and staying on track
Barry Westling
When my students get off task I like to remind them of the task we are working on at that moment. I also like to reassure them that as a class we need to be on the same page in order to accomplish the tasks in a efficient manner. One of my favorite things to do in the lab is to set up different stations and a set time to work on in each station. The students then like to stay on task to get to the next station.
Jennifer,
This particular activity is great, as it involves students, allows for independent work, and uses multiple senses in the process. Good for you!
Barry Westling
Janet,
This can be an effective tool that is both fun and educational (or reinforcing learned material).
Barry Westling
Students can get off task often during class.
One way that seems to work with me, is putting them into groups and assigning a few questions related to the chapter we are discussing. I make them work as a team and walk around observing while they are working. This seems to work well so far with my students. I also will pull the student to the side after class and find out if there is anything that I can help them with, whether it is an issue at home, school, etc.
We have actually used some games such as jeopardy to get their minds off the subject at hand and they seem to respond better when we go back to lecture material.
Victoria,
Good idea. I agree that recognition (praise, encouragement, support, compliments) can be a very effective motivator. Sometimes just a little nudging can snap a student out of thier distraction and get them back on track.
Barry Westling
I work in a clinical setting which is a bit different. What I try & do when a student is not on task or struggling with making choices and moving along I try to find "something" just any little thing that they are doing well and compliment them on it. To me this encourages them, puts them back on track with more confidence. This is assuming they want to be there & care.
Susan,
Great. The cumulative benefits obtained from multiple posts of the many different participants often give thought and assist instructors striving to provide better classes for their students. I'm glad you found something useful.
Barry Westling
As I was going through the module concerning restless/off-task students with inadequate backgrounds, it hit home with a few of my classes. Sometimes in the progression of the curriculum, students tend to take courses out of order if they don't have prerequisites to prevent this. I have a form that I ask students to fill out at the beginning of class that helps me learn what classes they have taken before mine. I have a bank of projects that I can pick and choose from that most accommodates the existing skill level of the class.
The status assessment section was a good idea, as students will go off task in spite of my efforts and I need to find a way to take the temperature of the group during the midterm point. My classes are very small, often less than ten students, so anonymous hand written responses wouldn't be effective as I would know their handwriting. This section gave me the idea to use Survey Monkey to create a status check that they can truly submit without my knowledge of who said what. Plus, my students love any reason to surf the web so I think this might engage them even more. We'll see!
Thomas,
When classes meet day after day, I find a good way to keep interest is to keep a constant focus on the work setting they're being trained for. When I introduce a topic, I precede it with why what we're about to discuss is important to them in the work setting. Thoughout the discussion, I will make reference to how this can be useful to them. I believe when students believe there is something valuable to them, the'll pay attention.
Barry Westling
I had a class last session whereas the students I had already failed the class the previous term. They were totally unexcited but, quite talented. I really had to get inside them and worked every week to do this. One thing I said to them at the beginning of each class was "I thought about you all week." This is the truth - I really did think about them. Along with the various classwork I gave them, I spoke with them all individually on more of a person to person level. I wanted to know what they thought of where they would go with their degree. Once I gathered this information, I went right to work on readjusting my lessons to be closer to their intended career paths. In this case, they wanted to know more about freelancing. So, we did freelance. It was a great success.
Cynthia,
When I look at school through the lens of my students eyes, a short reset break every hour seems very reasonable. It's been said "your mind can only take in how long your seat can endure". Probably some truth to that.
Barry Westling
I watch my teaching time for each content area. I try to make sure there is a short break every hour. This usually is very helpful.
Eleana,
This is perhaps among the simplest yet most effective methods to reengage distrated students.
Barry Westling
To reengage a student I always ask questions. It seems to help get their attention focused back on the subject at hand, also helps keep them engaged to the class even after the questions have been asked.
