Facebook - the bane of the writing lab. I really wish there was a way to give students access to the internet but block out facebook, espn, twitter, etc. Any strategies you could suggest there?
I read an excellent book on just this subject. A few things that I have used in the classroom is constant hand gestures while lecturing. The students pay attention to me while I speak because they don't want to miss a non-verbal cue or compliment.
Direct eye contact also works well during a noisy situation. You can quietly stare at the student and once they realize it's them to whom you are staring at, they will immediately stop the off-topic task.
I have also found that pausing in the middle of a sentence when it is too loud or too many students are off-task brings everyone to attention very quickly without a verbal cue.
These are three methods that I use.
Vickie,
Adults sometimes have difficulty with games, until they realize that they actually learned something from it. Keeping students engaged by physical activities is always an effective strategy. I have found it often doesn't take too much to get students refocused. I use "2-steps forward, 1-step back" when more than a couple of students seems distracted. This technique is merely calling on specific students (names drawn at random on popcicle sticks) and asking them to review segments from the past, 5, 10, or 15 minute period. Now, when students hear me "shaking the can", they know there's a brief Q&A session approaching, and suddenly, all are back to attention.
Barry Westling
When I see students begin to "zone out" or form little chat sessions, I use a physical activity of some type to re-engage them. One of my favorites is to stop the lecture, have everyone stand up and circle the outside walls of the room. Since I teach Pharmacy technology, I take a small IV bag, toss it to a student and ask them to tell me something about the lesson up to that point. When finished I have them toss the bag to another student, and so on. I find this wakes them up, helps them remember my lecture, and brings their focus back to the class all at the same time.
Lori,
This is great. A good change up is one that doesn't take the instructor too far off task. Sometimes, whole activity changes are needed in order to get everyone working "on the same page". But if simple activities (questioning, sharing, exploring) can do the trick, then that's the best for effective time management purposes.
Barry Westling
By asking the student to elaborate on the topic idea, offer their personal experience with the topic at hand.
Changing the activity of the class to suite the other types of learning styles.
by identifying if the student is off task because they do not understand or if they know the material and are not interested anymore. Change should match the mood of the class, and should be evaluated first before moving to another topic.
Thank you,
Lori
Gisele,
Great. I have observed that students like stories. When we can share a particularly useful and pertinent story, all ears become focused on the story. Studewnts will remember it, and if it's pertinent, it'll add to the lesson and ultimately, improved student learning. Otherwise, stories shared just to fill time are not as useful, and I try to stay away from that.
Barry Westling
Vanessa,
As instructors, we usually have a game plan for the day, and it may include some loose time for incidentals such as Q&A, and reengagement activities. For me, I try to get students back on task quickly so as to lose as little time as possible. Although sometimes its necessary to do a whole change up (different activity), I find by briefly asking students questions, or telling an interesting story that pertains to the profession, that is usually enough to capture attention so I can get back to my planned activity.
Barry Westling
I often tell them a real time story about what I experienced in the field, it is often related to the subject matter. This will take their mind off of concentrating for a brief moment but still become engaged with the content of the story being told. I always have success telling them experiences and how the situation was handled.
You can try to reenage a class by having a class room discussion about certain course material. You can do a case study, a game or a video that shows actual events of the professional doing something.
That is a great idea - classroom behavior and time management combined into one.
Chad,
Good ideas. I find that most of the time, just a little nudging is all that is necessary to reengage. Almost like a commercial break in the middle of a movie. Something that gives a brief reprieve from thinking, then back to it.
Barry Westling
Jon,
I agree that guest speakers can invigorate a class. Often, the need to refocus is immediate and beyond the practicality of planning a guest speaker. At these times, there are simple ways, such as circulating around the room, or asking specific students questions. More vigorous activities might include asking students to explain "the last 5-minutes of the course materia"l. Another way is to reengage by relating an interesting story, situation, or unusual occurence that was experienced in the work setting. This seems to always get students attention and allows a momentary break from studies before progressing further. Finally, sometimes an instructor may have to change thier whole focus, such as moving to small group discussion, demonstration, skills lab, or something similar to re-enegize the class.
Barry Westling
Step one is to speak to them quietly and try to get them to refocus, particularly if there are only a few and it has been an issue with them before. Otherwise, try to determine what learning style the student is best at and try to alter your approach.
Students that are off task many times have lost the vision of the ways in which the course materials relate to the skills the student must master to be successful in their chosen field. By inviting guest speakers to participate with the class and discuss the application of the priciples being taught in a real world setting, off task students often reengage and begin participating in the class with more enthusiasm.
Brian,
In business, they use an expression called WIFM, for "what's in it for me?" I find that if students are presented with information they see value in or something that will benefit them, they'll pay attention, keep their focus, and end up learning something from the class. There are techniques that work as well, and if you scroll through the forum, you'll see what others have done to counter this situation.
Barry Westling
This seems to be the perpetual problem. I teach at a trade school and my course is required for all students, but not necessarily of interest to them in their overall curriculum. They would often prefer to goof-off or generally chatter rather than pay attention to lecture, self-study time or even labs. I find it very difficult to keep them on task. This is especially true with the younger guys. All suggestions are welcome.
Dawn,
These mental breaks, also know as change-ups, allow for a momentary pause in the thinking process. They're good and useful. It's been said the adult has about a 20 minute attention span. So even mild change ups frequently sequenced throughout the presentation can be beneficial.
Barry Westling
I think mental breaks are a good thing. When my students get off-task, it is an indication to me that they need to take a mental break. I will allow them to diverge from the topic for a few comments and then either make an observation that ties the off-topic conversation to the topic at hand or say "And back to the topic at hand..." We have kind of made a game of who can be the most creative getting back to topic from where our off-topic discussion took us!
Heinz,
Super! Personalizing our relationships with students is a helpful act. Using it to reengage students in a creative and useful way makes for a more significant learning experience.
Barry Westling
