How to Get Students to Pay Attention in Class
While some teachers feel that it should not be part of our jobs to keep our students’ attention, it certainly is annoying to be teaching and to have students disengaged. I loved school and usually didn’t find it too hard to pay attention, with one exception. I clearly remember an afternoon biology class with a kind and well-meaning but extremely boring teacher. He had a soft, calming, monotone voice and droned on and on without doing much of anything different or interesting. Other than an earthworm dissection and the time I fell asleep and literally woke up with drool running down my chin, I don’t remember much of anything exciting about that class. Somehow, I do remember much of what I learned, but it took a lot of effort on my part. It was honestly one of the most boring classes I can ever remember.
It’s not that difficult to keep our students’ attention if we apply a few techniques. It is part of our responsibility to try to keep our students interested and not to be boring ourselves. Here are a few suggestions of ways to keep your students engaged in whatever it is that you are teaching:
Vary your volume. Have a regular speaking/teaching voice that you alternate with your soft voice (for emphasis) and your loud voice (for attention).
Be interesting and animated. Use your eyes and hands, make faces, and laugh. Obviously, our personalities are different, but this is something that we could all do more of.
Use humor. Everyone likes to laugh. Laugh at yourself if you make a mistake or trip over something. Tell a funny story that relates to what you’re teaching.
Use your whiteboard! A teacher’s voice becomes at least twice as interesting when he or she is writing on the board at the same time, illustrating the point.
Drawing pictures is even better. Use different colors. If your own art isn’t great (mine certainly isn’t), draw anyway. The not-so-great illustrations are usually funny, which will help you with point number three.
Put your most sleepy, unengaged student in the front row right in the center. Emphasize your points by pounding your fist on that student’s desk if they start to nod off to sleep.
The class period right after lunch can be the most challenging. If your students begin to tune out, have them stand up, touch their toes, shake their arms and legs, walk around their chairs, and/or touch a wall before returning to their seats.
Variety does wonders for student morale as well. Move their desks around often, rearrange your room to face a different direction, or change your decor.
Involve them as much as you can in your lessons. Have them read aloud, answer questions, work math problems on the board, or do hand motions for some science or math concept.
Model paying attention yourself. If you have a guest speaker or if a student is giving a speech, sit up straight, smile, nod your head, ask questions, etc.
Point this out to your students ahead of time so they will notice and pay attention to your good example.
It’s part of our responsibility to ensure that our students are engaged in learning; do what you can to aid them in the process.
