May I Have Your Attention, Please

The Deer in the Headlights is hysterical. I would love to be walking down the hall and look in and see your class. I would also like to hear what some of the new teachers are being told about how to get the kids' attention.

I've always used "1, 2, 3 eyes on me". The students have to stop and have their hands on their heads so that I know they have stopped working and are listening. I've always wanted to try this with a high school class and see how they react..ha.

This is one of the best blogs I have read because it is so true. Classroom management is the hardest part of teaching. I am a graduate student at Auburn University. So I am still in school, but I have had much experience with different grades and different classrooms. It is hard as a lab student to come in and get complete control of the class because they see you as an Auburn University "college student" and they automatically know that you are not really the one in full control. There teacher is always in control to them. Anyways I have wonder myself what I could do to get the students attention. I want something that is different and really engages the students. Once the students have your attention than you can do anything, but as soon as one is lost then you might as well start over because every other students will be gone as well. I love the deer in headlights. I am planning on teaching 2nd grade and this idea would be perfect for that age. I think clapping and yelling does not good because the students automatically see that they have control over you no matter what age they are. I would love to hear more of your ideas because that is the best idea I have heard about getting students attention. Good luck this next year.

I generally hold my hand up and quietly count to five with my mouth and hand.  I usually have all their attention before 5.  I no longer yell to get their attention or ring bells or anything else.

I usually count down from 5 seconds using both my mouth and hand to signal its my turn to speak.  That allows them five seconds to wrap up their conversations and turn their attention toward me.  It works quite effectively.  On the rare occassion it doesn't work they are reminded real quickly it wasn't worth it since if they take my time which just means I get to take theirs.  

I love the deer in headlights - way too cute!! I also like Tootsie Roll, Lollipop, We've been talking now let's stop. I think it's a Dr.Jean cheer.

I've seen a few different ways (considering I'm in school still)...my English teacher would have a journal on the board, and everyone was supposed to write until she rapped on the wall. Then it was "pay attention time" and nothing else. A few just start talking about something random until everyone is listening. I loved Mr. C--he'd pick up a blowfish that he had on his desk and count to five. If you weren't paying attention, you were the first to answer questions. I thoroughly enjoy Mr. G's way, too--drawing something funny on the board and waiting til the laughter died down.

MsP,

 I like that version. The chant comes from Dr.Jean's cheers. Here is a link. There are actually movements that go with it. Teacher usually starts it then kids chime in after tootsie roll.

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2004/06_june/Cheers/cheers_pdf/Cheers17-24.pdf

Some great ideas here.

I have three that I typically use. They are all interactive.

1- I say "And a hushhh fell over the crowd." And the kids respond "A hushhhhh" while making the shhhh sound at the end of the word.

2- I say, "When I say BE, you say QUIET... BE" and the kids respond "QUIET" and then I do it again. Me: "BE!" Kids: "QUIET"

3- I say, "Hey, hey, listen up, listen up!" and the kids repeat it.

These are all fun for the kids and it allows them to take ownership of the silence and attention.

As a preschool teacher the best technique for our children was to whisper. When I first learned of this technique I doubted it's ability to get students to listen, but once I tried it I was hooked and it worked like a charm.

This post was great, as well as the input from the other comments.

I love the deer in the headlights - I know I'll try it this year. I can't wait to see it!

I change up my please get quiet signals through the year - and have used many of the suggestions here.  

I didn't see one of my favorites.  I say "Catch a bubble" - they all take a deep breath, close their mouths and puff out their cheeks (holding a 'bubble' in their mouths).  I always have to teach them they can still breathe through their nose while holding the bubble in their mouths.  This works great in the halls as we travel from one class to another.

I love the deer in headlights! What an entertaining way to get the kids attention. At most school I've been in they do a 1,2 and the kids say eyes on you. A kindergarten teacher I worked with told the students to turn into number ones while they were in the halls. Since numbers don't talk this also stopped the chatter. The kids followed the number rule religiously.

These sound fun and useful. Interactive ideas like this insure the students will snap out of it and pay attention, at least for a moment! I'm a student planning to teach middle or high school French, so I'm not sure about using some of the younger-age-geared approaches, but I think some could be adapted for an audience of teenagers. I remember some of my teachers making us get out of our seats and stretch, or do jumping jacks. I'm not sure how effective it really was, but it did force students to wake up. I predict that cell phones in particular, and maybe note-writing, will be distractions in teenage classrooms, and so I like that the deer in headlights gets their hands up!

I think the issue of classroom management is something that should be addressed more often. I am currrently earning my degree in Special Educaation and I feel from the experience I have had the most effective way to teach is first to have control of your class. One thing one of the teachers I observed used was incentives to help her students stay on task. She used a system called a token economy. The students would receive points on how well they behaved or stayed quiet. The points they earned would go towards a prize of some sort at the end of the week. This really motivated the students to behave. All the teacher had to do was start writing students names on the board that were quiet and recieving points, it was like a chain reaction.

We have a clean- up song in which the teacher starts and the kids chime in and they know once they clean up to look at the teacher. Teacher: Are you listening? Are you listening? Students: Yes, we are. Yes, we are. Teacher: Now it's time to clean up. Now it's time to clean up. Students: Here we go. Here we go.It is really effective in the kindergarten classes.

Well that's one way to get their attention isn't it? It certainly got mine. That is just hiliarious. My sister is a teacher. To get her students attention she starts off by saying a little chant that their school is known for. Then once one of her students hears the chant, he/she joins in and so on. After about a few seconds, the whole class is saying their 'school chant' (which at the very moment, I can't remember but it is so cute) and she has the attention of nearly 20 students. So once she has their attention, she get quiter and quiter with the chant until there is complete silence, and then she goes on with her lesson. If I was to finalize my decison on changing my major to Elementary Education, I think I would have to borrow your attention getter along with the school chant!