Since this is something I think we all struggle with, I thought I �d share this with you. It �s a pretty long article, so I �ll put the link at the bottom.
10 ways to enhance the attention in class
Last time I told you about attention “problems” of children and how this is something that many teachers struggle with. Yup, you are definitely not alone!
As promised, in today’s post I want to share with you some advice that I always give teachers and parents as well (yes, parents … because some reasons for not being able to pay attention are neither coming from the school environment nor the teacher).
Since I know that you want to know them as quickly as possible, without further ado … 10 ways to enhance the attention of your students in class.
1. Prepare your classroom
Before you even start teaching, prepare your classroom in a way that it increases attention and not distraction.
This means, for example, keep all gadgets switched off (TV, computers, ipads etc) or even better, in a completely different room and only get them when they are absolutely needed.
Also, you may want to keep the material you need for the lesson at hand, so that the kids don’t have to get up to get anything or look in their backpacks for 5 hours. Have them prepare everything they need at the beginning of the lesson and keep the things on the table or nearby.
Make sure that your classroom is neat and child friendly, but also not too much. Imagine you have 100,000 posters in all colours about all kinds of topics hanging everywhere… this is wayyyy to interesting! I’d rather have a look around, maybe drift off when I see a picture that reminds me of my last zoo visit, than listening to the teacher or concentrate on the task at hand.
Make sure that the posters all serve a purpose – as a reminder for things you are currently teaching or things the students struggle with retaining.
2. Routines
Routines are something that are often underestimated, especially among new teachers. Yet, they can make or break your entire school year. Especially when it comes to very small children.
Imagine you are a little child. Your parents bring you to this place with lots of other kids (never seen so many of my age in one place before!) and 1 or 2 adults that I also don’t quite know. And then they leave and I’m all alone. I don’t even know if they will be coming back!?! Pretty scary, isn’t it? Now imagine the teacher speaking in a language that I have never heard before. Omg, what’s going on? How can I make myself understood? What if I feel bad? To who can I talk? When is mum coming back?
