How to get your learners attention?

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Ways to keep your students attention
Day in day out, week in week out. Classes can become repetitive and frustrating for both students and the teacher. It’s important to maintain a dynamic and lively atmosphere in the classroom to best facilitate students’ learning. The first, and most important step, is to make sure you keep your students’ attention.

Here are five tips that I use to do just that:

1. Ask students questions at random

Never go around the class in a systematic order (i.e. clockwise, alphabetical). Students can predict when they will be asked and can switch off until it’s their turn.

Asking randomly means they not only have to have done each task, they will also have to stay alert for the whole question and feedback session.

2. Always ask concept checking questions

To make sure students pay attention during teacher led input, such as grammar or vocabulary, always follow up with a series of questions that apply the point to a parallel example. Students will have to follow your work to be able to answer the concept questions at the end.

3. Change the classroom dynamics

Changing the furniture, the students or yourself can help maintain attention levels.

Moving tables around and randomly changing where the students sit can help keep everyone in the room awake. It gets students moving and the blood flowing and helps you avoid moments of potential mind wandering.

Changing where you teach from can also have a similar effect. It can keep you sane too.

4. Use humour

Everyone likes to get the joke, so if you’re naturally confident in telling one then you should.

Getting students laughing is a great way to build rapport in the classroom. Any student who misses the joke because they were not paying attention will feel left out and will do their best to hear the next one.

It doesn’t have to be a stand up show (remember Russell Brand used to teach English…badly), but throwing in a few gags can really liven up a lesson.

5. Choose original, topical and interesting subjects

If you’d be bored to talk about it then so will your students.

How many times would you like to speak about your family or the food from your country?

Language students go through the same routine every term, so liven up your lessons by asking them what they’d like to talk about. Find recent stories in the news and articles from more unusual magazines and journals. Practical based subjects are great too.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1 Taking attention of students means alot dear. But what about the students who do not reply your questions? Will you repeat the whole lesson on next day? if no then how you´ll engage with these kind of students? Please if you have some experience regarding my questions, then kindly share here.

Re: How to get your learners attention?respected sir yes why not if they are not answering but they are attentive it means they want to gain but the method which is used is not according to those students then ya sure of course i will select another suitable method for those learners.

We can always get students' attention in the class if we have prior knowledge about them (their needs, interests, lacks). Knowing the students and plan classroom activities accordingly can make much difference. The first things teachers have to do is to know names of their learners; when students feel they are known, acknowledged, they automatically build a connection with their teachers and everyone around. Besides, reinforcement has significant importance in the classroom. Teachers should rewards their students whenever they respond, participate and behave in a certain way. This conditioning will encourage other students too to participate in class and pay attention to every task they get.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1 I really agree with your point of view.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1 I have some solution like
Create groups with a mix of abilities. Pairing less responsive students with more active ones can encourage participation.
Regularly change group compositions to prevent students from becoming too comfortable or isolated.
Assign specific roles within each group (e.g., leader, recorder, presenter). This ensures that every student has a responsibility and a reason to participate.Have them discuss their thoughts with a partner.
their thoughts with a partn. ask pairs to share their discussion points with the larger group. This gradual process can help shy or reluctant students feel more comfortable contributing.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1
Try to role play.
Group learning is best if your students not answering then you can assign work with gaming mothod

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1 Thanks for sharing the classroom management tips. One of the thing I usually used to get attention from my students is by using games / tricks. It's quite fun and students did laugh a lot.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1
There are different types of students in the classroom. Some are dedicated, while others interrupt their classmates and come to play rather than learn, which interrupt the education of active students. How would you handle this situation?

@Sana Aslam o alaikum,
On reading your post I understand your role in classroom and It looks that you are used to with no response students. Your answer is quite beautiful and is as per our practices. Now if we are going to change our methodology in using ICT tools, what do you think how quality education will be provided to those no replying students?

@Sana thanks

@Engr-Zeeshan Aslam o alikum sir according to my point of view Incorporate multimedia resources like videos, animations, and interactive simulations to make learning more engaging and accessible.Promote peer learning activities where students can work together on projects or study groups, fostering a collaborative learning environment.Integrate gamification elements such as rewards, badges, and leaderboards to motivate students and make learning more enjoyable. By implementing these strategies, ICT tools can be leveraged to provide quality education and support to students who are not initially responsive,
Thanks to read and appreciate to my teaching strategies

Re: How to get your learners attention?

To keep students' attention, ask questions randomly to avoid predictability, use concept-checking questions to ensure understanding, change classroom dynamics by moving furniture or altering seating, incorporate humor to build rapport and maintain interest, and choose engaging and relevant topics to keep lessons fresh.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1 agree
But only you need students attractive on thia way and it's good for teachers.

To manage students' attention during a lecture, I will use a variety of strategies.
I'll start by incorporating engaging content like videos or real-life examples to make the material more interesting.
I’ll frequently ask questions to keep students involved and encourage them to participate.
Breaking up the lecture into shorter segments with quick interactive activities will also help maintain their focus.
Additionally, I’ll change up my teaching methods, mixing in group discussions or hands-on activities to keep things dynamic and cater to different learning styles.
Finally, I will be attentive to students' body language and energy levels, adjusting my pace and approach as needed to ensure they stay engaged.

@MJANKb9ddefc9b1 Yes that's true , When teacher use one- way learning method under which teacher teach lessons to the students and they were assign to note the lesson . Students lack interest in learning. While on the other hand two -way of learning in which teacher constantly ask students questions and allow students to ask questions frequently. Students remain interconnected with teacher and more focused in the classroom.

@Hanifa Wonderful topic.

@Hanifa
According to me, the success of the class depends on the correctly chosen method. You should be able to make the lesson interesting from the very first minutes. I start the lesson with a question, a riddle, a mystery...
In elementary classes, children get bored quickly, so after the main part, I do physical exercises or play some kind of game. After that, the child refreshes and turns his attention to the lesson. The teacher should also be able to control the class with the tone of his voice.