Pg. 140 Student Attention in the Classroom
I liked the ideas described on how teachers can increase student attention. I thought it was a given that teachers needed to be more active and more creative delivering instruction to engage and motivate students to learn, but now I know not all teachers think this way. I met a teacher who's major concern was keeping the students quiet at all times. She would lecture ask the students questions that required a specific answer and never really let the students answer their own thoughts about what was being read or taught. I would hardly ever sit in my classroom, during story time I would always walk around, I liked changing my voice when I was reading the stories and sometimes acted out pieces of the story. The students really liked it and they seemed to understand what was going on in the story and how the characters were feeling, it helped me keep their attention throughout the lesson.
Nila i totally agree with what you are saying. If a teacher doesnt allow students to express themselves during class it will be very difficult for them to remember what the teacher was lecturing about. If a class is boring and a teacher doesnt let the students interact in class then students will be bored. Keeping students interest is a great way to keep their attention on what is being taught.
ReplyDeleteIt's true Nila, in my experience with infant/ toddler care, I have seen one to many caregivers who are very monotone in the classroom when reading to the children, almost sounding robotic and not in a fun way. Also, they expect toddlers to sit for long periods of time instead of allowing them to explore their creativity or their individualism. I understand that in a grade school environment it is sometimes difficult to allow all children to be creative all the time but it is important to adapt new strategies that keep the children engaged and have them interact with the the teacher and their peers.
ReplyDeleteWe are competing for students attention more than we have ever had to in the past. The shear magnitude of information that is thrown at them (and us) on a daily, if not hourly, basis sends them into cognitive overload. They want to know what they need to know, how to use it and move on, please. We have to allow them to be a part of the process, be open to their questions, and let them interact with each other. In reality, they're going to interact anyhow, we just have to guide that interaction toward the learning goal. Relavent, authentic tasks applying the concepts taught.
ReplyDeleteYour idea of teaching is the best way to teach students and keep them captivated. You are right that many teachers either don't know, or are not motivated to try to make the students a part of the lesson. They feel that if they lecture to them, that the students will listen and learn. Most students that I taught had shorter attention spans and needed to have short interactive lessons to keep the listening and learning. I have always said that I hate to have people stand up and talk for long periods of time. I always try to remember that when I am teaching, so that my students are not bored.
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