6 answers
Angie
Student
Grafton, Ohio
6
Questions
Asked
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How do you keep the attention of little kids/what activities and techniques have you discovered work well?
I am a high school senior looking to perfect my pathway for the future. I am accepted into Cedarville University in southern Ohio, and I plan to to major in Early Childhood Education. After college, I plan to become a teacher for a grade level between kindergarten and 5th grade. #elementary-education #teacher #cedarville #highschool-senior #college #teaching
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6 answers
Dana Blomberg
Teacher assistant
21
Answers
Charleston, South Carolina
Updated
Dana’s Answer
Hello!
While I was working on my undergrad degree I was working at a preschool and the way that I found was best to keep kids engaged is to make it as hands on as possible! This doesn't always mean a hands on activity. It can involve singing or hand motions or puppets. It makes them stay engaged because they look for hand signals! This can be useful long term to because it gives their brain another connection to the material they are learning. Now I work in a classroom with 1st and 2nd graders and there are a lot of hand signals that are used during their lessons. I will often see them making those same hand motions at their desk which is their way of using their memory to trace back the material they need to know!
Hope this helps!
Dana
While I was working on my undergrad degree I was working at a preschool and the way that I found was best to keep kids engaged is to make it as hands on as possible! This doesn't always mean a hands on activity. It can involve singing or hand motions or puppets. It makes them stay engaged because they look for hand signals! This can be useful long term to because it gives their brain another connection to the material they are learning. Now I work in a classroom with 1st and 2nd graders and there are a lot of hand signals that are used during their lessons. I will often see them making those same hand motions at their desk which is their way of using their memory to trace back the material they need to know!
Hope this helps!
Dana
Matt Robeson
Analytics Director
2
Answers
Richmond, Virginia
Updated
Matt’s Answer
Dear Angie,
I think it's great you know you want to teach our youngest learners! Your question gets to the heart of what steps / lessons / activities keep our students "tuned in" to learning . Keeping kids tuned in requires you to be constantly tuned in too! Keeping yourself tuned in may sound strange, but if you consider the teachers that meant the most to you, I'd guess they were empathetic to your questions (even if they were silly), these teachers made you and your peers feel safe, they were kind, and the best teachers had all the above PLUS a healthy dose of humor! I think if I had to do it all over again, I would read, study, learn, and ask more questions about Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Trauma Informed Instructional practices, and how to build a culture of kindness in my class. As to humor - keep yours intact but let me share a warning: if you find you are making jokes about what any student says, does, or how they act in class - you are going to destroy your hard work of building a culture of trust! Be funny by dressing up as characters in your books, celebrating Pi day (March 14), May 4th is a good Star Wars day (May the force be with you), and March 4th is an awesome Military appreciation day (get it?). I recently heard about a PE teacher who told his kids he would be out of school the next day, but he showed up dressed as Richard Simmons (a fitness guru from the 1980's) and the class did some Richard Simmons exercises...but not until he totally butchered the names for roll call and everything a substitute might do! If you smiled thinking about what this class was like - then imagine how the students would feel about going to this class; that is the magic of teaching - showing kids and then seeing those kids enjoy learning!
One last piece of advice - no 5th grader wants to be treated like a Kindergartner, and no Kindergartner wants to be treated like a 5th grader - certainly a "no duh" piece of advice. Sadly, you will see K teachers asking Kindergartners to act like 5th graders (it's a cold drill sergeant from the military), and some teachers treat 5th graders like Kindergartners (it's a room full of unstructured chaos) - just don't let that be you! BTW - I know you will do great...you know why? Because you are ALREADY THINKING ABOUT HOW TO BE A GOOD TEACHER - the best teachers ALWAYS want to be better!
I'm excited for you - keep asking great questions!
check out this article on Trauma informed instruction: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct19/vol77/num02/Trauma-Informed_Teaching_Strategies.aspx
Many companies develop SEL resources, but CASEL is probably one of the leaders in the space: https://casel.org/impact/
I think it's great you know you want to teach our youngest learners! Your question gets to the heart of what steps / lessons / activities keep our students "tuned in" to learning . Keeping kids tuned in requires you to be constantly tuned in too! Keeping yourself tuned in may sound strange, but if you consider the teachers that meant the most to you, I'd guess they were empathetic to your questions (even if they were silly), these teachers made you and your peers feel safe, they were kind, and the best teachers had all the above PLUS a healthy dose of humor! I think if I had to do it all over again, I would read, study, learn, and ask more questions about Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Trauma Informed Instructional practices, and how to build a culture of kindness in my class. As to humor - keep yours intact but let me share a warning: if you find you are making jokes about what any student says, does, or how they act in class - you are going to destroy your hard work of building a culture of trust! Be funny by dressing up as characters in your books, celebrating Pi day (March 14), May 4th is a good Star Wars day (May the force be with you), and March 4th is an awesome Military appreciation day (get it?). I recently heard about a PE teacher who told his kids he would be out of school the next day, but he showed up dressed as Richard Simmons (a fitness guru from the 1980's) and the class did some Richard Simmons exercises...but not until he totally butchered the names for roll call and everything a substitute might do! If you smiled thinking about what this class was like - then imagine how the students would feel about going to this class; that is the magic of teaching - showing kids and then seeing those kids enjoy learning!
One last piece of advice - no 5th grader wants to be treated like a Kindergartner, and no Kindergartner wants to be treated like a 5th grader - certainly a "no duh" piece of advice. Sadly, you will see K teachers asking Kindergartners to act like 5th graders (it's a cold drill sergeant from the military), and some teachers treat 5th graders like Kindergartners (it's a room full of unstructured chaos) - just don't let that be you! BTW - I know you will do great...you know why? Because you are ALREADY THINKING ABOUT HOW TO BE A GOOD TEACHER - the best teachers ALWAYS want to be better!
I'm excited for you - keep asking great questions!
Matt recommends the following next steps:
Dave Henry
High school teacher
28
Answers
Maryville, Tennessee
Updated
Dave’s Answer
Well, Matt pretty much said it all in his answer. Do you want to be the kind of teacher who kids want to be around because you're so much fun. Everybody wants to be entertained. But who says learning something new can't be entertaining! No we're not talking about video games or computers. We're talking about real live action human entertainment.
And if you don't find it interesting I know your students are going to find it interesting either. So games and contests and working together with a partner can be a lot of fun for kids. Sitting in doing paperwork are not so much fun. Getting out of your seat is a okay!
I think someone once told me "Don't be the sage on the stage, be the guide on the side". That means don't stand in front of everybody and just lecture and tell them what to do . Let them do and you assist them in their learning . It's always more fun doing things than watching somebody else do things.
I also sometimes question the value of homework. If it's just doing 37 more problems out of the book that may not be helpful. I usually tell my students that let's get started on this homework together so if you have any questions this is a good time to get some help. Homework just helps me understand which students need a little bit more assistance. I can usually figure that out quickly. That's why I never give 37 math problems for homework. I can figure it out in class just by walking around and having them do five more.
But of course the main thing is you need to care about the students or they will never care about you. And everything you do is a lesson in something.
And if you don't find it interesting I know your students are going to find it interesting either. So games and contests and working together with a partner can be a lot of fun for kids. Sitting in doing paperwork are not so much fun. Getting out of your seat is a okay!
I think someone once told me "Don't be the sage on the stage, be the guide on the side". That means don't stand in front of everybody and just lecture and tell them what to do . Let them do and you assist them in their learning . It's always more fun doing things than watching somebody else do things.
I also sometimes question the value of homework. If it's just doing 37 more problems out of the book that may not be helpful. I usually tell my students that let's get started on this homework together so if you have any questions this is a good time to get some help. Homework just helps me understand which students need a little bit more assistance. I can usually figure that out quickly. That's why I never give 37 math problems for homework. I can figure it out in class just by walking around and having them do five more.
But of course the main thing is you need to care about the students or they will never care about you. And everything you do is a lesson in something.
Your advice was so helpful!
Emily
Madison Sheppard
Teacher
6
Answers
Cape Coral, Florida
Updated
Madison’s Answer
Hands-on activities!! Especially with the little ones, if it's possible to do something hands-on, do it! They get so much enjoyment out of it, and if they're having fun that means they are engaged in their learning.
Songs are also a great tool to use, and you can find a ton on Youtube if you're like me and couldn't come up with your own catchy song to safe your life.
I made a Jeopardy review game for my kids (3rd grade) for a science test they had coming up and they had a blast AND their test scores were great too.
Songs are also a great tool to use, and you can find a ton on Youtube if you're like me and couldn't come up with your own catchy song to safe your life.
I made a Jeopardy review game for my kids (3rd grade) for a science test they had coming up and they had a blast AND their test scores were great too.
Stephanie Hamilton
Educational Consulting
89
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Stephanie’s Answer
Hello! I was very fortunate/blessed to have a double major - Special and Elementary Education. Special Ed has helped me so much especially when I taught regular education.
From the advice you've gotten - I agree with much of it ....
1. Be creative! hands on, interactive
2. Use the 5 senses - integrate them when you can to make activities come alive
3. Small groups - role play, problem solve, etc.
4. Be flexible!!
Here's a great article to read from Scholastic: Teacher Tips: Getting Children's Attention
By Susan A. Miller, Ed.D., https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/teacher-tips-getting-childrens-attention/
Much success,
Stephanie
From the advice you've gotten - I agree with much of it ....
1. Be creative! hands on, interactive
2. Use the 5 senses - integrate them when you can to make activities come alive
3. Small groups - role play, problem solve, etc.
4. Be flexible!!
Here's a great article to read from Scholastic: Teacher Tips: Getting Children's Attention
By Susan A. Miller, Ed.D., https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/teacher-tips-getting-childrens-attention/
Much success,
Stephanie
Andrea Miller
1
Answer
Updated
Andrea’s Answer
Hello, what has always helped me keep the attention of little kids, especially while learning something new is 2 things.
1. Make it fun! Kids love to have fun, so any way of making something new into a game is always best.
2. If you can make it into a song or cheer, I promise they will remember it. Presidents, States and capitals, alphabet, math, ect. If you can make it fun and better yet into a song, you will keep those kiddos attention.
1. Make it fun! Kids love to have fun, so any way of making something new into a game is always best.
2. If you can make it into a song or cheer, I promise they will remember it. Presidents, States and capitals, alphabet, math, ect. If you can make it fun and better yet into a song, you will keep those kiddos attention.