Try an attention getting strategy your CT uses.
What
For this performance task, I spent a day watching my Collaborating Teacher (CT) and made observations on which attention getting strategies she used with the students. I came to find out that she has quite a few. One that she uses the most with the students is “Class Class” and the students are supposed to reply, “Yes Yes”. They are supposed to reply back in whatever tone she used. For example, if she said “Class Class” in a deep voice the students would reply “Yes Yes” in a deep voice. For the most part the students all follow directions when replying back to her. This is an attention getting strategy that is used throughout the school. You will see teachers using it from Kindergarten all the way to 5th grade. Another one that she uses in the classroom is, “Eyes on me” and the students reply “Eyes on you”. I have observed her having to remind the students, when they reply back, “Eyes on you”, that they need to stop what they are doing and look up at her. One that she uses in her classroom, that I have never seen used before, is “Track the speaker”. This is used as a reminder for the students to look at the speaker while they are talking even if they are moving around the classroom.
While I was teaching a lesson for my CT observation, I was able to try some of the attention getting strategies that she uses with the students. While on the carpet, the students were starting to get a little talkative and I quietly said “Class Class” and I am happy to say that all the students replied back “Yes Yes”. I felt really good about that because it made me feel like they were finally seeing me as an authority figure in the classroom. The only problem I had using that strategy was that, I felt like that day I had used it a lot and that maybe, I should have chosen another to include in the mix.
In EDE 4504, we talked about setting up procedures in the classroom. Levin and Nolan (2014) states that “procedures are routines that call for specified behaviors at particular times or during particular activities (p. 155).” The students know that when the teacher uses an attention getting strategy the students need to stop what they are doing and pay attention. This is something my CT does with the students at the beginning of the school year. They are taught all the attention getting strategies and what they should say when the teacher uses one such as when the teacher says “eyes on me” the students reply with “eyes on you.”
So What
From this experience, I have learned the importance of not only having a strategy to get the attention of the students in your class but to also have a variety of them because both you and your students are going to get tired of hearing the same one repeatedly. It is important to get the students’ attention because you may have something important to tell them or let them know that they are off task. Once the teacher has the students’ attention then the learning can really begin. Attention getting strategies are nice to use in the classroom because it allows the teacher to get the attention of the student without having to raise their voice. After talking with my CT about ways to make sure the students are listening without having to raise my voice, she gave me some other techniques I could use. For example, she said that once I should say in a whisper, “If you can hear my voice go move your clip up one”. For students who are listening and get up out of their seats to move their clip up will get the attention of the other students. I can use this as a teaching moment, to remind the students that if they are talking too loud when they are not supposed to be can cause them to miss out on important things. Attention getting strategies should be fun for the students. For example, the teacher can say “class class” in a funny voice and the students respond “yes yes” using the same voice. If you use attention getting strategies in the classroom instead of yelling to get students attention, the class is more likely to respect you. I have observed that students do not follow directions when they are being yelled at.
Now What
In the future when using an attention getting strategy, I will change it up so that I am not using the same one all the time. I learned after my first set of observations that I was using the same attention getter. The students stopped responding to it the way they should have. The next time I teach, I am going to try a new way of getting the students’ attention. I will use the one that my CT suggested, where I say, “If you can hear my voice go move your clip up.” I also feel like in my future classroom, that I would like to come up with ones that include the students doing a task such as, “If you can hear my voice touch your head or clap once” or even just give me five (where the teacher puts their hand in the air and as students start to pay attention, they raise their hand). I feel like this would be more interactive for the students and a reminder to stop what they are doing and listen for the next set of directions. I believe that all teachers need a few tricks up their sleeves to get students attention. I worked with a CT who used a dog squeaky toy to get the attention of the students in her class. The students all knew when they heard that sound it was time to stop talking and listen to the teacher.
This blog address FEAPs :
2a: Organizes, allocates, and manages the resource of time, space and attention
2b: Manages individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system
What
For this performance task, I spent a day watching my Collaborating Teacher (CT) and made observations on which attention getting strategies she used with the students. I came to find out that she has quite a few. One that she uses the most with the students is “Class Class” and the students are supposed to reply, “Yes Yes”. They are supposed to reply back in whatever tone she used. For example, if she said “Class Class” in a deep voice the students would reply “Yes Yes” in a deep voice. For the most part the students all follow directions when replying back to her. This is an attention getting strategy that is used throughout the school. You will see teachers using it from Kindergarten all the way to 5th grade. Another one that she uses in the classroom is, “Eyes on me” and the students reply “Eyes on you”. I have observed her having to remind the students, when they reply back, “Eyes on you”, that they need to stop what they are doing and look up at her. One that she uses in her classroom, that I have never seen used before, is “Track the speaker”. This is used as a reminder for the students to look at the speaker while they are talking even if they are moving around the classroom.
While I was teaching a lesson for my CT observation, I was able to try some of the attention getting strategies that she uses with the students. While on the carpet, the students were starting to get a little talkative and I quietly said “Class Class” and I am happy to say that all the students replied back “Yes Yes”. I felt really good about that because it made me feel like they were finally seeing me as an authority figure in the classroom. The only problem I had using that strategy was that, I felt like that day I had used it a lot and that maybe, I should have chosen another to include in the mix.
In EDE 4504, we talked about setting up procedures in the classroom. Levin and Nolan (2014) states that “procedures are routines that call for specified behaviors at particular times or during particular activities (p. 155).” The students know that when the teacher uses an attention getting strategy the students need to stop what they are doing and pay attention. This is something my CT does with the students at the beginning of the school year. They are taught all the attention getting strategies and what they should say when the teacher uses one such as when the teacher says “eyes on me” the students reply with “eyes on you.”
So What
From this experience, I have learned the importance of not only having a strategy to get the attention of the students in your class but to also have a variety of them because both you and your students are going to get tired of hearing the same one repeatedly. It is important to get the students’ attention because you may have something important to tell them or let them know that they are off task. Once the teacher has the students’ attention then the learning can really begin. Attention getting strategies are nice to use in the classroom because it allows the teacher to get the attention of the student without having to raise their voice. After talking with my CT about ways to make sure the students are listening without having to raise my voice, she gave me some other techniques I could use. For example, she said that once I should say in a whisper, “If you can hear my voice go move your clip up one”. For students who are listening and get up out of their seats to move their clip up will get the attention of the other students. I can use this as a teaching moment, to remind the students that if they are talking too loud when they are not supposed to be can cause them to miss out on important things. Attention getting strategies should be fun for the students. For example, the teacher can say “class class” in a funny voice and the students respond “yes yes” using the same voice. If you use attention getting strategies in the classroom instead of yelling to get students attention, the class is more likely to respect you. I have observed that students do not follow directions when they are being yelled at.
Now What
In the future when using an attention getting strategy, I will change it up so that I am not using the same one all the time. I learned after my first set of observations that I was using the same attention getter. The students stopped responding to it the way they should have. The next time I teach, I am going to try a new way of getting the students’ attention. I will use the one that my CT suggested, where I say, “If you can hear my voice go move your clip up.” I also feel like in my future classroom, that I would like to come up with ones that include the students doing a task such as, “If you can hear my voice touch your head or clap once” or even just give me five (where the teacher puts their hand in the air and as students start to pay attention, they raise their hand). I feel like this would be more interactive for the students and a reminder to stop what they are doing and listen for the next set of directions. I believe that all teachers need a few tricks up their sleeves to get students attention. I worked with a CT who used a dog squeaky toy to get the attention of the students in her class. The students all knew when they heard that sound it was time to stop talking and listen to the teacher.
This blog address FEAPs :
2a: Organizes, allocates, and manages the resource of time, space and attention
2b: Manages individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system