Keeping Your Students' Attention

Wandering minds is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for any teacher

. Children usually have a very short attention span and get very easily bored. It becomes difficult for a teacher to keep them alert and interested in the topic being discussed in class.

Children tend to fall asleep during the lesson or if you are lucky, they would probably just yawn loudly. But that's not all they do. There are other various antics that your student can do. For instance, kids love passing out notes to their friends and, if you are unlucky enough, they will make a lot of noise and try to disrupt the class.

To increase their attention span, introduce a bit of humor into the subject or the topic that you are teaching. The students get a good laugh and also tend to become more interested in the subject. It is considered "cool" to be able to crack a good joke and your students would definitely look forward to more.

Another trick is to involve the students in what you are teaching. Tell them stories interesting facts and fun trivia related to the concept being taught. This will also motivate them to pay attention to what you are saying.

Don't turn your students into crammers and certainly do not ask them to take down numerous notes from the blackboard. This methodology is definitely going to put your students to sleep. Similarly avoid giving dictations, unless you are teaching grammar or spelling.

Visual learning makes the students sit up and pay attention. Use slides, photos, movies, music, songs, and dance sequences if possible to teach the students the related concept. This would not only draw their attention, but also ensure that the taught concepts leave a lasting impression in their minds.

Encourage your students to be active in the classroom by getting them to act, to give presentations, or to take turns in giving practical demonstrations. Being an active part of the learning process is always more interesting than having to be a passive observer all the time.

Taking your students out on a field trip once in a while is also very helpful. This gives them a chance to experience real life things rather than just reading textbooks. When giving them any examples, try to quote about people, things and incidents that they might relate to.

by: Michael Daniels

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