Teaching Tips
Being a teacher has its tough moments. Moments where you must use every ounce of skill, tact, experience and wit to your disposal to make sure that you can deliver the top quality service that you were hired for and, of course, to make sure that your students get the best learning experience possible. For many teachers (especially those teaching in junior schools) one of the problems that come up in many discussions is the issue of getting the attention of the class to present the material. This is an issue that I experienced myself when I was filling a temporary position at a summer school London. I felt both disarmed and a little frustrated at the time so I understand how hard it can be for a beginner teacher.
I had recently been hired for the position and I had never been in the country before, all those little things conspired to make the challenge of getting and holding my class’s attention into an ordeal. I think a lot of new teachers, or perhaps those who are changing jobs and getting into a new position, might also have similar problems. I also believe that, if you don’t take control of the situation, it can zap your self esteem in a way that will make it harder for you to get back in your game and get the attention of your students. I was lucky to have great colleagues that helped me with kind words and sound advice. From the things that I tried back then, one sticks in my mind as being fun and very effective. Here’s that great tip that saved me back then. Use it to quickly and effectively get your class attention.
The Magic Deck
You can turn a simple deck of cards into an efficient behavior management tool, it’s fast and easy. You only need a regular playing card or even an index card for every child in your class. You then write each kid’s name on the face of the card. You shuffle them and you’re ready to go. From now on, every input you require will be followed by a draw from the deck which will indicate which student will answer: no more hand-raising and no more silences as you scan the classroom for a hand that will just not rise.
This technique has many benefits. Not only does it eliminate any possible favoritism from the teacher, but also allows you to even forget about such matters, you need to simply rely on your deck at all times. Thus, you won’t always call on the students who always seem to raise their hands nor ignore the quiet or shy kids. The big deal is that since it’s completely random each child will have to pay close attention to your words since anyone can be prompted. The kids will always be wondering who is going next and since they are are not allowed to repeat what someone else said, they will be thinking as hard as they can.
For extra effect don’t place the cards that you just pulled on the bottom of the deck. Slip them into the middle, even near the top, and always shuffle the deck before a draw. That will assure that even the child that just answered can’t sit back and relax knowing that he won’t be called again for quite awhile.
