How to Get Your Students to Pay Attention in Class

Only someone who has spent lots of time with children truly understands that getting and maintaining the attention of students is no easy feat. It’s something that can only be done with experience, patience, and trial and error. The good news is that there are plenty of clever ways you can keep the attention of your students. It just takes practice and commitment. Let’s take a look at a few things you can try to keep the attention of your students and make the learning experience more rewarding for everyone.

Don’t Be Afraid to Use Humor

School gets a bad rap. Because kids spend the bulk of their school day in a classroom at a desk, it can feel boring. So try a few tactics to keep students engaged and alert. Humor is one effective way of doing that. Humor is an important part of life, so why not instill that value in the classroom? After all, it will make class time all the more enjoyable for everyone. Don’t be afraid to crack a few jokes and have fun. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be particularly humorous, you can talk about things that are innately funny. Tell a comedic anecdote about a bad day you had, or a story about something no one would ever believe actually happened. And, more importantly, encourage your students to be humorous and laugh too. Having a few laughs in the classroom is a great way to clear the slate, get re-energized, and be ready to take on the next assignment.

Set Specific, Clear Expectations

Give your students a set of simple, easy-to-follow rules and guidelines. For example, if they are working on a group project during class time, make it clear to all the students what group they belong to, what their responsibilities are, and how long they have to complete the project. Don’t become overly verbose or give too much detail, since this will just confuse your students. Tell them the most important information they need to complete a task and nothing else unless they have a question. People perform much better when they have a set of rules and boundaries to work within. A little bit of guidance goes a long way. And if you reward your students for their good behavior with something like a custom mug or custom hat, it shows that their effort pays off.

Have Conversations

Part of what makes learning fun is encouraging student participation and having conversations in an environment where students feel safe to express their opinions, present new ideas, and ask questions. Right off the bat, at the beginning of the school year, make it clear to your students that their involvement in the conversation is appreciated and encouraged. And don’t just make the conversations about the schoolwork. Show your students you care about their entire well-being. Ask them what they did over the weekend or on summer vacation. Talk about what they are looking forward to doing after school, or if they have any exciting news to share. Everyone appreciates having the chance to speak and be heard.

Go For a “Discussion Walk”

Depending on the flexibility you have with teaching at your school, consider switching things up by going for a discussion walk. Sitting for too long is not beneficial for anyone, especially when you are trying to retain the attention of students. Young elementary kids all the way up to university students will benefit immeasurably from the opportunity to stand up, walk outside among nature, and get some fresh air. Like laughing, going for a walk outdoors is a powerful way to reset the mind. And the physical activity of walking can help stimulate more productive conversation filled with new ideas and burning questions. Something as short as a 10-minute walk may be exactly what your students need to get excited about the topic at hand. You could even gift them with custom notepads that they can use to jot down ideas as you walk.

Have Breaks

People can only work or study for so long before they burn out. To prevent that burnout, take breaks. For every hour of work, allow a 10-minute break. If you just taught high schoolers a 60-minute class, allow 10-minutes for them to get up, walk around, chat, have a glass of water, or eat a snack. These breaks especially come in handy if you teach at a university where you have a three-hour lecture.