Get Your Students Hired
Address directly with questions. Make humorous comments that let them know I'm watching them. I try to shift my attention when lecturing or reviewing to those I see not paying attention.
Doug
I'm going to apply this more in my class with these types of students. If they know you care and are "watching" them, they might put a new importance on the material being presented.
I am so amazed that I've dealt with all these student types. And I handle them by doing what this lesson suggests. I do so by moving close to them during the lecture. Also, I will ask them questions. That seems to work quite well.
Walk to their desk (and others), direct attention to them and ask a question. Break the class into groups, assign a task to each group, with a report back process. This tends to help quite a bit in my experience.
I think the story telling of real life experiences that apply to the material being taught takes the students often into the effective domain and gives value to why what they are learning is important and can be applied by them.
Speak softly, and when they say they didnt hear the assignment or explaniation that I just discussed. I will say they should be listening not talking.
Eye contact!!!! However, you donot want to put the inattentive students on the spot, therefore keep a positive smile while giving direct contact to the inattentive students.
I like to capture my students attention by having instruments they will use in thier field passed around the room while I discuss the instrument.They love to be able to manipulate the equipment while I discuss the where what and how of it.
Hi Michael,
My voice projects as well. I have heard students say you can not go to sleep in Mrs. _____ class.
Patricia
At the beginning of class I inform students that at the end of class we will go around the room 2-3 times and each student is responsible for sharing with me and the class something they learned that day that they can incorporate into their "toolbag" for effective communication/public speaking. Each student is entitled to one pass but another member of the class must pickup with pass. The class member who picks up the pass has the right to call on anyone in the class at any time for assistance in answering a question during class or as part of this daily "summary of concepts learned." Students tend to be very engaged. The person who starts the sharing has the right to pick the next person to share and so on until the entire class has shared their 2-3 items.
One of the ways that i have found to work for me to grab the attention of inattentive students is by having them stand up and using them to help me in my lecture as a model or to demonstrate.
I am a loud, expressive, large instructor - and I move around the classroom alot. I find this helps keep everyone's attention without calling any single student out.
A more subtle, but effective tool is the class agenda. I wright the topics for the days lecture on the whiteboard - but always in a cryptic fashion. Students stay focused as each topic is "revealed" and anticipate the results of upcoming clues. I try to interject humor as much as possible: the topic "Crickets" might be a heading for a discussion of a reading assignment I am sure most of the students did not complete.
You can give examples of how inattentiveness can affect your performance in any given situation. The best example should come from the Life Experience of the Teacher!!!!
Make the class exercises relevant to what you are trying to teach. Mix up the preseatation-lecture, computer lab and student presentations work best when classes are long.
I fully agree about bringing in a guest speaker and also breaking the class into small groups. A guest speaker always brings new thoughts to the class, and another opinion.
Hi Ty,
Students want to know how they will be able to utilize the information in the workplace. Once the realize they can use it on the job, they automatically become interested.
Patricia
Hi Bill,
These are all good ways to capture students attention. I even say we are going to have a quiz or pop test on today's lesson to capture attention.
Patricia
Hi Timothy,
How do you go about being the most conspicuous person in the room?
Patricia