Have you ever just sat down and suddenly decided that you did not want to be there? Why is class so boring? I do not understand, and I think that teachers and professors should learn different ways to keep their students interested.
Why should students be interested in their class? Besides the obvious part where your lesson should probably be interesting to at least most of the students, students tend to learn better when they are interested in the subject. When students actually want to learn what is being taught, they will pay attention in class, and try harder on the work assigned, or when they study. In a study written by Tristan de Frondeville in 2009, he mentions a period during the lack of engagement and calls it the “Dead time”. The dead time interferes with a student’s learning, and is apparently “contagious”. The other students around look at the student who is not paying attention and start wondering why they should pay attention if others are not. “I have come to feel that dead time is so pernicious that I will do everything I can to prevent even the hint of an outbreak. If you strive for maximum learning for all your students, then allowing kids to be stuck in dead time feels like a small betrayal — to yourself and to them” (Frondeville, 2009). Active learning and active listening are two opposite components of the dead time. In their book, “Inspiring Active Learning”, Merrill Harmon and Melanie Toth describe four levels that represent the student’s motivation. The students that are on level four, the lowest level, the work avoiders, the students on level three, the halfhearted workers. The students on level two are the responsible students, and finally, on level one, are the fully active learners.
“Eliminating dead time starts with creating an arsenal of routines and activities. They can be general-purpose activities that apply to various subject areas or styles of teaching, or specific content-oriented activities that allow your students to learn by tapping into multiple intelligences beyond the usual listening and recalling” (Frondeville, 2009). Some of these activities include physical activities to help students release pent up energy that they would otherwise be unable to release before class, or other activities that involve private thinking, that helps with reflection.
In Frondeville’s article, he lists “Ten Rules of Engagement”
The first one includes a “Mind Warm Up”. This activity involves teams of three students that work together quietly. They will raise their hands when they believe that they have found all the mistakes that have been presented. The team that found the most mistakes then describes what they found and the other teams disagree politely if they believe that one of the mistakes is a mistake itself.
The second involves using movements to get students to focus. For primary grades, the teacher would use hand clapping patterns that accompany a chanted verse. For middle school, create a pattern of finger snapping and hand clapping. They repeat back to the teacher what was demonstrated to them. For high school, use stretching methods, including the cross stretching. This stretch involves raising a knee and lowering the opposite elbow to the knee.
The third method involves teaching kids to collaborate before they start to expect success. One way is to give teams of students a pair of scissors, two sheets of paper, ten paper clips, and a 10-inch piece of tape, and ask them to build the tallest free-standing tower in 20 minutes (Frondeville, 2009).
The fourth method is a quick-write activity. This activity involves students reflecting and writing on what they have learned from the class. This method is useful for getting students to focus in class, because they will expect to have to write down what they have learned, so they will be motivated to pay attention so that they will be able to complete the activity.
The fifth activity is running a tight ship when giving instructions to the students. “Whichever method you use, before you begin speaking, it is critical to require (1) total silence, (2) complete attention, and (3) all five eyeballs on you (two eyes on their face, two eyes on their knees, and the eyeball on their heart). I’ve done this approach with every class I’ve ever taught, and it makes a big difference. Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) middle schools include detailed SSLANT expectations: Smile, Sit up, Listen, Ask, Nod when you understand, and Track the speaker” (Froneville, 2009).
The sixth activity is called the “Fairness Cup”. This method involves the teacher putting the students’ names on popsicle sticks and putting them in a cup. The teacher then draws a popsicle stick and reads the name that is written on it. The student’s name that is drawn is then supposed to read, speak, or answer a question. This forces the students to always be on edge, because they do not want to embarrass themselves in front of the entire class. Especially vicious middle school students.
The seventh method involves hand signaling to answer questions. “To convey the number of answers, students can use sign language, such as holding a hand to the chest (so their hands aren’t visible to their neighbors) and displaying one or more fingers to represent how many answers they have. This technique precludes students from bragging about how many ideas they thought of or how quickly they are ready. You can then call on volunteers who want to share their answers with the rest of the class” (Frondeville, 2009).
The eighth method is to provide minimal supervision from regular routines with the students. This is to remove as much dead time as possible. “Tasks that require minimal supervision add purposeful activity during moments that might normally revert to dead time. They come in handy when passing out papers, working with a small group of students, handling an unforeseen interruption, addressing students who didn’t do their homework, or providing work to those who have finished an assignment before others” (Frondeville, 2009).
The ninth method involves the teacher switching up teaching styles. This can be done by introducing a presentation and asking the students to pair up. The students will then give prior knowledge on the subject of the presentation, and then they will come up with four questions that they want to learn during the presentation. The teacher should make quick, frequent rounds to ensure that students are staying on track.
The tenth, and final method involves creating teamwork tactics that boost accountability. For example, the “ask three before me” rule forces students to seek out other students to gain responses to their questions, or requests. “To reinforce this rule, when a student on a team wants to ask you a question, you, the teacher, always ask another person on the team whether she knows what the question is. If she doesn’t, politely walk away, and the team will quickly understand what you expect” (Frondeville, 2009).
References:
Frondeville, T. (2009). How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. Edutopia. Retrieved 21 November 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips
Psychology of Learning 