Change teaching style. Small group discussion. Alternate learning techniques.
A good way that I try and keep the attention is to break my class up into groups and have each group resonsible for what needs to be taught for the day. Each Student has to be the speaker in the group and be resonsible for turning in their own work.
Hi Derrick,
What kind of focused classroom activities do you conduct?
Patricia
Hi Victoria,
Great points mentioned as to how to capture students attention.
Patricia
I am allergic to being bored so I believe in being energetic and having fun most of the time this grabs everyones attention and helps them get engaged...
I would first talk with the student to try and find why they are so distracted.
moving around the room during lecture, maintaining eye contact with the student as well as animated gestures can often times bring an inattentive student to attention.
I use a questioning technique learned in my time with the military called "APPLE" Ask, Pause, Pick, Listen, Explain/Emphasize the answer. Picking students should not be centered only on who has their hand raised.
Involve the student in focused classroom activities.
The use of applicable analogies, humor/ humorous stories and ice breakers changes the pace of the classroom permitting everyone to take a collective "breath of fresh air" and refocus on the subject at hand. Sometimes a physical break is appropriate when the day or lecture becomes overly intense or tedious in nature. Keeping a handful of these measures in your back pocket is always wise.
I like to write down specific events that happen in an office/job and then break the students down into small groups. They then roleplay the situation with a bad reaction, mediocre reaction and an excellent response. Discussion follows after each.
Another method is a review which devides the class in half and we play family feud. When it is the students turn 2 go to board and must spell the word, i pronouced correctly. Then the winning team can play or pass and give me the definition to gain a team point. By the end of the game, organized chaos has occurred and all leave laughing.
Hi Don,
Nicely stated! Generally, when I teach a new concept, I try to utilize methods so that I can capture all types of learners.
Patricia
Hi Robert,
Students enjoy playing classroom games! Anytime you get the opportunity to play games, take advantage of it.
Patrricia
Hi Rhonda,
These practices really do help to capture students attention. I use a lot of facial expressions as well, and the students really do pay attention. They've even commented about my facial expressions.
Patricia
I plan to move around the classroom. Hopefully this movement will keep the students minds awake. I also plan to try and make the lecture portion exciting. I am lucky enough to have very dramatic facial expressions and a lot of people pay attention when I speak. I'm hoping that will work in front of the classroom. We will see.
Classroom games like who wants to be a millionaire.
What I usually do to capture this type of student is I move closer to that area of the room, not directly in front of the student, but very near. I make my presence kown. Also, I ask him or her if he/she is bored? Usually, the student says that he isn't, that he just wandered a bit and is tired. I try to make the class laugh so no one is embarrassed, but the student gets the point. If that fails and it happens repeatedly, I look at my lessons and try to keeop that student more challenged. Perhaps the lesson was too easy or not relevant. I try to bring the lesson to an everyday situation so the students see that we really apply these startegies in the real world, not just in the classroom.
By trying to identify the students learning style is the first step in capturing the students sttention. If they are a hands on learner,while going through lecture, give them something to take apart that is relevent to the lecture. If they are an intellectual learner, give them a project. Possibly putting the students in small groups to enguage social activities could help.Holding a student a few minutes after class to discuss their goals and passions will show that you care and can sometimes remind the student why they took the course to begin with.
II ask questions allowing each student to respond. I also ask the inattentive student their opinion or to expound upon an example or statement given. Also, at the end the class I asked each student what they remember; what stood out the most.
Hi John,
Most of the time you will get "I don't know", but this gives the student the cue to start paying attention.
Patricia
