Attention Please

nord.coompanion.se

I love the classroom that I'm in right now and all my rambunctious third graders. Although their attention spans might not last the longest, they have good hearts and I do think they have a desire to learn. My biggest challenge in the classroom right now is trying to make the content they have to learn interesting to the kids. Crazy as it may sound, kids are much more entertained by bouncing on orthopedic balls than by studying the properties of addition. My question of the day is "how do I get and hold the students' attention so that I will be able to effectively teach them? I searched my memory and found a few suggestions.

1. Catch Phrases
I've seen a lot of teachers using these lately. When I was in elementary school I used to have to say a rhyme when I lined up that went something like: "My eyes are straight ahead of me, I'm standing nice and tall, I'm not talking to my neighbor, I'm ready for the hall." Now my teacher uses a clapping pattern and "1, 2, 3, Eyes on me! - 1, 2, Eyes on you!" Both seem quite effect with my bunch of learners.

2. Consistency
One of my friends who is also going to school to be a teacher told me once that a professor told her the most important part about teaching is consistency. The kids need to know what to expect in the classroom and need to know the boundaries and rules. I think this applies to catching student's attention because the kids need to know that when a teacher starts talking, they need to listen. This is something that needs to be established right away in the classroom.

3. Games
I'm new to the field of teaching but I have already noticed how much more engaged students get when I call what they do a "game". It is very easy to turn anything into a game, just add a timer and keep track of points. I really enjoy doing spelling games where the kids keep track of how many points they score by spelling words correctly. The kids seem to love it!

Hopefully I will be adding to my list of attention grabbers as the year progresses. As for right now, I will keep practicing the attention grabbers that I know work well and add new ones to the mix little by little.

Rhythms

www.gophersport.com


The school year is a few weeks in now and the students in my school and the teachers are trying to settle into a rhythm. It turns out though, that rhythms can be very hard to establish. I never realized how much effort goes into just getting kids used to how the day progresses. So much of the day gets practiced so that future days will run smoothly. Students practice coming to centers and leaving centers, lining up, walking in the hall, getting drinks, coming to the rug, it is amazing how much work goes into make the class run smoothly.

Rhythm is evident in my clinical, not only in the repetition throughout the day, but also in one of the classroom activities I've grown to love. My host teacher uses this website called Go Noodle to get the kids moving and to keep them attentive. There are a bunch of different songs and dances that the students (and teachers) have a blast doing and I'm so glad she introduced me to this website. I remember being in school and being forced to stay at a desk or sit "criss-cross applesauce" on the rug. It is refreshing seeing kids up and moving and BEING KIDS.

My latest favorite thing is the alternative seating my classroom has for the students. My host teacher has about 10 yoga balls (some with little feet) and these stools called wobble chairs that let you wobble back and forth and spin around. At first I was very dubious about presenting seven and eight year old kids with yoga balls and wobble chairs in a classroom, but now I think it is a great idea. The kids understand that using the alternative seating is a privilege and they take that privilege very seriously. Alternative seating also gives students a chance to move around a bit while working on their academics without disrupting the class.

Be it getting into a classroom rhythm or a rhythm while doing Go Noodle dances, it is important for our students to be active and engaged during their time spent in the classroom.

Welcome to the Year

 
neatoday.org

Autumn is almost upon us, which we are reminded of with the beginning of the school year. I've always been a fan of "going back to school".  Maybe I love a new school year so much because I love buying school supplies or maybe it's because I like like organizing all my class materials. But I think I love new beginnings mostly because I love the potential that comes from a blank slate.

Normally when a new school year begins, I look at it from the perspective of a student, but this year I had the opportunity of witnessing the first day of school from a teacher perspective. AND I LOVE IT. I  welcomed a score of third graders to school just last week and it was such a cool experience. The energy in the room was palpable as everyone filed in, shook hands, and found their little niche in the classroom. There is so much potential in all these new faces I don't even know all the names of yet (I'm working on it), and I know that as the weeks progress I'll have the ability to teach, empower, and encourage these young minds, which is what I love best.

Third grade seems like it will be a fun age because the kids are still young enough that they want to please their teacher but they also have minds and opinions of their own. Many of them have already formed opinions about content areas in school. My host teacher asked the class on the first day of school how many people love reading, like reading, and don't like reading. I was saddened to see a few students already opposed to reading before the school year has even really begun. I'm going to make one of my goals for this academic year to give those children who don't enjoy reading a new appreciation for it and to make those who like and love reading even more enamored with the subject I've grown to love.