When students get bored their minds drift.

And while some settle on daydreaming, tile-counting, and general inattentiveness, other students are drawn to more…ahem…destructive pursuits.

For where there is boredom, there is misbehavior percolating just under the surface, ready to pounce.

Although there is a lot you can do to counter the onset of boredom, understanding what not to do is the first step to avoiding its negative effects.

What follows is a list of the most common things teachers do to cause boredom. By steering clear of these eight attention killers, your students will spend more time on task and be far better behaved.

And you’ll be a more effective teacher.

1. Sitting too long.

Although it’s important to increase your students’ stamina for both paying attention during lessons and focusing during independent work, if they’re made to sit too long, you’re asking for trouble. Good teachers are observant and thus learn to know precisely when to switch gears and get their students up and moving.

2. Talking too much.

Students need room to breathe or they’ll form an unspoken mutiny and turn your classroom upside down. Talking too much is especially smothering. It communicates that you don’t trust them, teaches them to tune you out, and causes their eyes to glaze over. The more economical and concise you are with your words, however, the more attentive your students will be.

3. Making the simple, complex.

Many teachers misunderstand the oft-heard mandate for more rigor. They take it to mean that they need to make their instruction more complex, more involved, more verbose—which is a major reason why students don’t progress. Our job, if we are to do it well, is to do the opposite. The most effective teachers simplify, break down, and cut away the non-essentials—making content easier for students to grasp.

4. Making the interesting, uninteresting.

Most standard grade-level subject matter is interesting, but your students don’t know that. In fact, many assume, based on their learning experiences in the past, that it’s boring. It’s your job to show them otherwise. It’s your job to give them a reason to care about what you’re teaching. So many teachers just talk at their students, forgetting the most critical element: selling it.

5. Talking about behavior instead of doing something about it.

Teachers who struggle with classroom management tend to talk endlessly about behavior. They hold class meetings. They hash things out. They revisit the same tired topic over and over, much to their students’ eye-rolling chagrin. Effective classroom management is about action. It’s about doing and following through and holding students accountable. It isn’t about talking.

 6. Directing too much, observing too less.

Most teachers are in constant motion—directing, guiding, handholding, and micromanaging students from one moment to the next. This is not only remarkably inefficient, but it dampens enthusiasm for school. Instead, rely on sharp, well-taught routines to keep your students awake, alive, and responsible through every transition and repeatable moment of your day—while you observe calmly from a distance.

7. Leading a slow, sloppy, slip-shod pace.

Good teaching strives for a focus and efficiency of time, movement, and energy. The day crackles and glides cleanly from one lesson or activity to the next. As soon as one objective is met, it’s on to the next without delay. Moving sharply and purposefully forces students to stay on their toes, their minds engaged. Boredom never enters the picture.

8. Failing to adjust.

Regardless of what you’re trying to squeeze in by the end of the day, or how important it seems, the moment you notice heads wilting, you must make an adjustment. It’s never worth it to plow through. Sometimes all your students need is a moment to stretch their legs or say hello to a friend. Other times, you’ll simply move on to something else.

Learning In The Spotlight

The ability to concentrate over time is a critical and often-overlooked aspect of learning, and so pushing the time-on-task envelop is a good thing.

But there is a fine line.

And when students cross that line and into boredom, misbehavior is sure to follow. The good news is that by avoiding the common mistakes listed above, you can keep boredom at bay…

And inspired learning in the spotlight.

Note: I wrote an article last week for Jessica Balsley’s excellent blog, The Art of Education. If you’re an art teacher, or you just want to improve art in your classroom, I recommend checking it out.

Also, if you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Telling students exactly what you want is good teaching.

It seems obvious, but if you’re unable to communicate what you want from your students, then they’re never going to give it to you.

Too often when giving directions teachers begin talking before they’re ready. They think out loud. They hem and haw. They hesitate. They appear unsure of themselves. “Okay, um, let’s see, here’s what were gonna do…”

And they wonder why their students struggle to follow directions.

It’s best to compose yourself first, decide what it is you really want your students to do, and then give it to them straight. “When I say ‘go’ I want you to stand up, push in your chair, and line up for lunch.”

This is good. This is excellent.

The teacher informs her students that she is going to use the ‘go’ signal, which improves listening and keeps them from moving too soon, and then tells them precisely what she wants—simple, direct, and effective.

But what if you need to give your students directions to be carried out over a lengthy activity? This can be a challenge for students and a major source of frustration for teachers.

The students start out strong enough, but soon everything falls apart. They forget. They get confused. They lose motivation. They become distracted. They start goofing off and misbehaving.

It can make you want to run screaming for the parking lot.

To be an effective teacher, to keep your students on-task and to encourage independence, you must be able to give unforgettable directions.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Make your directions a story.

Your students will pay close attention if you make your directions sound like a story progressing from beginning to end. This is easy to do if you picture one of your students working his way through each of the tasks you want them to complete.

Stories are powerful and can make mundane directions come to life for students—especially when they see themselves in the story.

Step 2: Use “going to” to spark visualization.

To insert your students into your directions/story, use the words, “going to,” as in, “First, you’re going to pick up your materials from the front table. Then you’re going to…” When students hear “going to” they begin picturing themselves actually doing it.

“Going to” is a memory device that causes students to create a moving picture in their mind. It’s also predictive. They take it as fact that they’ll indeed be able to do everything you ask them—without your help.

Step 3: Include anchors.

As you walk your students through your directions, add a few simple but insignificant tasks along the way. For example, you might say, “When you finish writing your hypothesis, you’re going to run out and touch the basketball pole on the playground.”

Silly tasks like this act as anchors along a memory map for your students. The novelty and goofiness has a way of helping them remember the path that leads from the beginning of the activity to the successful end. It’s also a lot of fun.

Step 4: Act out your directions.

Detailed modeling can be impractical for lengthy, multi-step activities. But you can always act out what you expect without ever leaving the front of your classroom. Use your body and facial expressions to dramatize the steps you want your students to take.

It provides additional support for their visualization and helps them to better picture themselves completing the tasks you place before them.

Note: When giving directions you want followed immediately, it’s best to stand in one place and not act them out.

Step 5: Use a winding path as reference.

On an easel or whiteboard, draw a winding path of boxes. In each box write a one or two-word reminder for your students to refer to. Each box represents a task, leading to a successful finish. This supports the idea that the activity is a story and they’re the lead characters.

The last box should refer to the final anchor, a fun way to culminate the completion of the activity. For example, after your students record the final results of their science experiment, they hold their journals triumphantly in the air and say, “I did it!”

Step 6: Hang responsibility on their shoulders.

Before releasing your students to begin, ask, “Is there anyone who doesn’t know exactly what to do from the moment I say ‘go’ until you finish the activity? I want to know now. I don’t want to find out during the activity that you don’t understand.”

By being proactive and asking if anyone doesn’t understand, you effectively put the onus of speaking up on your students—saddling them with a greater feeling of responsibility to do it right.

Step 7: Increase the challenge.

When you first try this new way of giving directions, you may only have a few tasks, or steps, on your path—especially if you’re a primary teacher. But as your students get better, and as they grow more independent, you’ll be amazed at what they can do.

Bring it On

Great teaching doesn’t have to feel like hard work. You don’t have to strain and stress to be effective. You do, however, need to be able to communicate with your students in a way they understand.

For most day-to-day classroom business it’s best to be direct and straightforward with what you want. But for multi-step directions that take time to complete, you must create a story for your students.

Many teachers place giving individual help at the top of their priority list and don’t give a second thought to how they provide the directions—which creates needy, dependent students whose first inclination is to look to their teacher rather than relying on themselves.

But when you can provide unforgettable directions, when your students can see what you expect from them and picture themselves doing it, they’ll rarely need your help.

And as you test them and push them with more and greater challenges, they’ll develop into capable, independent students who will look back at you with eyes that say…

Bring it on.

Note: I’ll be taking next week off to celebrate Christmas, but will be back on New Year’s Eve with a rockin´ new article.

Have a blessed holiday!

Michael

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Do your students begin moving before you finish giving directions?

Do they turn in their seats, reach for materials, or begin standing and conversing with classmates before you even finish talking?

Do you find yourself gradually raising your voice, trying to get in that last bit of instruction before the din overtakes you?

The fact is, as soon as your students think they understand what you want, they’re gone—mentally and often physically moving on before they really understand what is expected of them.

We all do this to some degree. It’s human nature. But the effect it has on teaching and learning can be devastating.

Yet day after day teachers continue to talk over their students, hoping that this time they’re going to get it, that this time there won’t be a dozen hands in the air, a rash of misbehaviors, and half the class confused or off topic.

The truth is they’re never going to get it.

Unless, that is, you make one simple adjustment.

The ‘Go’ Strategy

The ‘go’ strategy is a simple and effective way to stop your students from moving on—mentally or otherwise—until you’ve finished explaining all of your directions.

Here’s how it works. Just before giving your directions insert this one statement: “When I say ‘go’ I want you to…” (Then give your directions.)

As soon you finish talking, pause a moment or two and say, “Go!” By giving this particular verbal cue, your students will learn to wait and listen until all directions are given before getting to work.

Here’s why it works:

It removes anticipation.

When your students know they have to wait for your ‘go’ signal before starting their work, they can relax and focus their energy on understanding your directions. They’ll no longer be in no hurry to rush off.

The ‘go’ signal stops them from thinking ahead, removing the natural tendency to anticipate and predict what you want instead of really listening and understanding what you want.

It becomes a habit.

Over time your students will become so accustomed to waiting for your signal that it becomes a habit—something they never have to think about. The words, when I say go will be a red alert that what comes next is especially important.

Of course, like any classroom routine or procedure, the ‘go’ strategy must be taught, modeled, and practiced thoroughly before heightened listening becomes the natural reaction.

It allows you to assess their understanding.

Good teaching requires you to know your students understand what you want before releasing them for independent or group work. Using a ‘go’ signal will enable you to give your directions to a patient and receptive audience.

Also, despite how well you taught your lesson, it gives you one last pause to assess their understanding. During the short few moments before saying ‘go,’ you’ll be able to see the understanding—or lack thereof—in their eyes. With practice, this last visual check becomes remarkably accurate.

It triggers action.

The word ‘go’ is itself a direction, one that initiates immediate action. It gets students moving swiftly toward the goals your directions have set for them. It tells them to get to work learning right now.

Without a signal, you’ll have students rushing off prematurely, for sure, but you’ll also have those who will sit there like a bump on a log, with nothing short of your frustrated verbal intervention to push them into action.

Sound Teaching

Adding a ‘go’ signal will improve listening and learning in your classroom tenfold, but it must be preceded by sound, passionate teaching.

Show your students what you want. Break down what you expect in clear steps they can refer to on an easel or Promethean board. Make them prove they get it with partial practice, student modeling, or role-play.

Confirm their understanding with one last visual check.

Then give your ‘go’ signal and get out of their way.

Note: The ‘go’ signal can also be used for simple, everyday directions. For example, “When I say ‘go’ I want you to stand up, push in your chair, and line up for lunch.”

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Are your students slow to follow directions? Do they ever seem reluctant, lost, or unsure of what you want them to do?

Does it ever feel like no matter how often you repeat yourself or how loud you speak you still can’t get through to them?

Does it seem as if an evil, invisible force is encrypting your voice, and the message your students are getting is actually an indecipherable warble? Wah, wah, wah, wah…

Okay, that last one is a little much, but it isn’t uncommon to feel like you’re on a different frequency than your students.

Poor listening habits and sloppy execution are complaints shared by nearly all teachers.

But there is an effective solution, one that will get your students actively listening and following your directions the moment you give them.

It’s called the line strategy.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Find your line.

Before your students arrive to school, locate a line on the floor of your classroom. It can be an edge of carpet or a design in the tile, or you may need to lay down a strip of masking tape. Whatever the method, your line should be at least 20 feet long.

Step 2: Give a direction.

When your students seem to be at their…ahem…least responsive, give a simple, one-step direction—only once and in a soft tone and volume of voice. You might say simply, “Please put away your reading books.”

Step 3: Fill your line.

Without saying another word, notice who is and isn’t following your direction. Quickly approach those who aren’t, or who didn’t, and ask them to stand with both feet on the line. You may very well have most, or nearly all, of your class on the line.

Step 4: Give a second direction.

Follow up with a second direction for those few who are still in their seats and part of the class. Say something like, “Put away your reading books and take out your journals.” Again, ask those who don’t follow the direction to stand on the line.

Step 5: Give a few more directions.

The directions you give can be anything you like. I recommend working on those you give most frequently or those you find most frustrating, but anything will do. Give another direction or two or three and add more students to your line—if applicable.

Step 6: Offer a return.

Quickly scan your line, asking those students who appear to be following along (standing quietly on the line) if they’d like to return to the class. They’ll say yes and happily go back to their seats.

Step 7: Continue adding and offering.

Continue giving simple one or two step directions while adding more students to your line and offering more a return. As to who and when you should let students go back to their seats, just go by feel. If they appear to be attentive, let them go back and give following directions another try.

Step 8: Watch the line dwindle.

As you continue this process, which should only take a few minutes, your line will get smaller and smaller as more and more students begin to clue in to what you’re doing and tune in to the sound of your voice.

Step 9: Practice multiple steps.

When your line is empty, and now that you have their attention, throw in multiple step directions. Say, “When I say go I want you to stand up, push in your chair, place one hand on your head, one hand on your stomach, and smile.” Get as complicated or as silly as you wish.

Step 10: Move on.

Now that you’ve got them where you want them—sharp, sitting up straighter, and listening intently to you—it’s the perfect time to segue into a lesson or activity. You’ll be thrilled with the transformation you see in your class.

Let Them Learn The Lesson

It’s important that you don’t explain the line strategy to your students or why you’re doing it. Don’t add a lecture, an admonishment, or say more than you need to in order to conduct the exercise.

Let them learn the lesson on their own—through direct experience. Explaining it will diminish its effectiveness.

Note: You never, ever want to begin the lesson with just a few students on your line. The purpose of the strategy is to improve listening for your entire class, and must never be construed as a punishment or feel humiliating in any way.

To be on the safe side, once that first large group is standing on the line, announce that you’re playing a listening game—á la Simon Says.

 Why It Works

Deep down all students want to be part of what is right and true and desirable. And so when asked to stand on a line that represents the opposite of that, it burns a hole right through the bottoms of their shoes.

It speaks to them in a way they understand. It restores the connection between your voice and their ears.

The invisible force is defeated.

So Much More

The strategy works on you, too. No, not your ears. Your ears are just fine. It’s your eyes that need opening.

When you get a glimpse of what is possible, when you peer into what could be, it will cast your students in an unfamiliar light.

And the overwhelming thought will hit you like a thunderbolt…

They’re capable of so much more.

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Your students love video games.

They love action movies and bawdy comedies. They love snowball fights, skateboards, birthday parties, and action sports.

They love laughter and thrills, challenge and daring-do.

They want to leap off thirty-foot cliffs into murky water below. They want to go on zip-lines, amusement-park rides, water slides.

They want to score the winning goal, hang out with their crazy friends, and eat pizza seven nights a week.

They spend their waking moments thinking about, pursuing, or engaging in their desires.

And then they walk into your classroom.

Boredom Equals Misbehavior

I know, I know… It’s not your job to entertain your students or compete with the excesses of the world.

True enough.

But if you can’t grab their attention and enchant them with your lessons and teaching style, you’re going to lose them to boredom and disinterest.

And, as predictable as the rising sun, unengaged students misbehave, break rules, and seek fulfillment in less-than-acceptable ways.

Just the way it is.

Four Desires

The key to capturing your students’ attention, and keeping it, is to tap into four desires nearly every student has in abundance.

1. Adventure

Students crave adventure, and if you can give it to them, even in small doses and in vicarious ways, they’ll love being in your classroom.

Organize scavenger hunts and walking field trips and outdoor art lessons. Choose read-alouds that transport to other worlds. Act out scenes of scientific discovery. Perform your favorite book passages. Reenact moments in history instead of just reading about them.

Dive headlong into the dramatic stories of adventure behind the yawn-inducing curriculum you’ve been saddled with. Be wary of the current push in more and more technology, and get your students up and experiencing their learning.

2. Laughter

Bring regular doses of fun and laugher into your classroom, and your students will follow you to the ends of the earth. Besides storytelling, nothing compares to the rapport-building, behavior-influencing power of humor. Be open to it and you’ll find it everywhere you look.

There is no place like a classroom full of kids to find the comically absurd, the notably amusing, and the downright hilarious. No, you don’t have to abandon your rules or waste learning time.

The truth is, when your students are happy to be in your class, when they can have a good laugh once in a while, they’re less likely to misbehave and more open to learning.

3. Challenge

Among the happiest of people are those whose work challenges them—without it being unreachable, undoable, or discouraging. And this is what you must do with your students. You must continually give them challenges they think they can do, but aren’t absolutely sure.

The best way to do this is through provocative questioning: Who thinks they can teach the class how to perform the experiment? What group wants to try to tackle this problem? Which pair can do this the best, the fastest, or without making a mistake?

Your job is to know what your students can do so you can ask for a little more—in tempting challenges dangled before them throughout the day.

4. Fascination

This is where your skill as a teacher and showwoman (or showman) comes in. I’ve found that in every lesson and in every activity there is an opportunity to infuse a dose of fascination and wonderment.

This strategy can be so powerful and can be used in so many different ways, limited only by your imagination. Find the one thing in your lesson that is unique, unusual, magical, shocking, incredible, secretive, special, exclusive, or in some way different and use it to lure your students in.

Now on the surface this one thing might not be very compelling. The trick is to visualize your lesson objectives through the eyes of your students. Find the one thing that stands out and then make it compelling. Make it something your students can’t ignore, even if they tried.

Teach To The Heart

If your classroom doesn’t include these elements, if you’re simply following along with the paint-by-numbers curriculum you’ve been provided, then classroom management will be a never-ending struggle.

And academic progress will be teeth-pulling slow.

When you regularly tap into your students’ natural desires, however, when you speak and teach directly to their hearts, rather than into their ears and over their heads…

Then their eyes will widen, their backs will straighten in their seats, and they’ll be filled with the love of learning.

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Questions are the lifeblood of learning; they mustn’t be discouraged.

But yet, if left unchecked and unopposed, they can throw you far off topic, cause boredom and restlessness, and slow learning to a crawl.

Though more art than science, it’s possible to trim the unnecessary and encourage the kind of smart, relevant questions that will keep your lessons moving at a brisk and bright-eyed pace.

What follows is a list of guidelines to help you do just that.

You control when.

The most important key to managing questions is to tightly control when they may be asked. If you allow an all-day question free-for-all, which is surprisingly common, your progress through the curriculum will be a frustrating plod.

You control what.

Second in importance is controlling what questions can be asked. For your teaching to be both efficient and effective, you must define for your students what topic(s) are on the table and open for questions.

Allow questions in segments.

It’s best to allow for questions only during specified segments throughout the day. So at any given moment the floor will either be open to questions or it won’t. By segmenting these moments, the quality and focus of the questions asked by students will be noticeably better.

Allow many segments.

Whenever you begin a new lesson or a new topic of discussion, allow a time segment for questions. For students this means that although they may not be able to ask a question anytime, there will always be a moment just around the corner when they can.

Define the segment.

Open the floor for questions by defining the topic. Say simply, “Does anyone have questions about geometry?” If a student asks a question off topic, respond directly: “Sorry, we’re only asking questions about geometry.”

Don’t take questions during instruction.

Always wait until you’ve finished giving instructions before taking questions. I know this seems obvious, but it’s smart to make it a policy—just to be sure. This alone saves loads of time, improves the quality of the questions you get, and encourages students to listen more attentively.

Allow time for any question.

Allow time during the day for students to ask you anything. Two or three times a day is usually sufficient. Say, “Now is a good time to ask me anything about anything.” By getting these questions out of the way, you, and they, can focus on academics.

Provide post-its.

It’s a good idea to have post-its or small squares of scratch paper available for students to write down their questions if they wish. This way, they can get them down on paper and forget about them until you’re ready to take questions.

Don’t answer what has already been asked.

Never answer a repeated question. It encourages students to tune you out. Instead, ask the student to check with a neighbor as soon as independent work begins.

Don’t answer call-outs, hand waves, or students out of their seat.

Call on students who are sitting with their hand raised in the manner in which you modeled. Don’t respond to those who approach you, wave at you, or call out to you. Instead, enforce a consequence.

The Right Balance

It’s important your students feel encouraged and motivated to ask questions and participate in their learning. But at the same time you’ve got to keep the pace of your classroom crisp and moving forward.

Sacrificing one for the other will leave your students lost, unhappy, and prone to misbehavior.

Using question segments is the key to finding the right balance.

Over time, and using the guidelines above, you’ll get a feel for when and how often you should use them throughout the day.

And when you do, when you find the perfect mix for your classroom, you and your students will zip through the curriculum faster than you ever dreamed possible.

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

You notice it an hour or so into the school day.

Your students are chatty and distracted. Their heads are on a swivel. They’re squirming in their seats. Only the most dedicated appear to be following along.

What do you do?

Do you plow through and hope they settle down? Do you stop and give a rip-roaring lecture? Do you put your hand on your hip and wait?

The problem with these methods is that they’re unlikely to work for more than a few minutes. The fact is, regardless of how old they are, your students can only sit and attend for so long.

So when they become restless and inattentive, and therefore unable to learn, it’s time to do something more drastic.

It’s time to get them on their feet and moving.

The 5-Minute Exercise Break

An exercise break is an easy and effective strategy that also happens to be backed by science. But you don’t have to be a researcher to know that it works. You can see the results first hand.

After just five minutes of moderate exercise, your students will be refreshed, recharged, and ready to learn.

The only catch is that you have to lead them.

Here are ten easy ideas:

1. Air Swimming

Mimic the four standard swimming styles–front crawl, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly–as your students follow along. You can also add a leg kick–while balancing on one leg–to go with them.

2. Dancing

A simple toe (or heel) tap from side to side while snapping your fingers is a good place to start. After that, all bets are off. Have fun with it. Be your nerdy self.

3. Jumping Jacks

Stand with your feet together and arms at your side to start (like an I). Then jump and spread your legs and arms apart (like an X), bounce once on the balls of your feet, and then return to start. Do 20 repetitions, rest, then repeat.

4. Run Intervals

Run in place for 30 seconds to spike the heart rate, and then walk in place for 30 seconds to lower it. Repeat the interval two more times. Exaggerate the pumping motion of the arms and hands for a full-body workout.

5. Desk (incline) Push-Ups

Stand with your feet together and about half your body length from a desk. Place your hands on the top edge of the desk and just wider than shoulder width. Lower yourself until your upper and lower arms form a right angle, then return to start. Shoot for 10-12 repetitions, rest for a minute, then repeat.

6. Standing Poses

If you have any experience with yoga, then you’re familiar with basic standing poses like warriors I, II, and III, reverse warrior, crescent moon, triangle, and side angle. All are kid friendly, fun, and excellent for improving strength.

7. Circles

This is a gentle exercise that’s perfect for a quick energy boost. Perform arm circles, shoulder circles, elbow circles, wrist circles, hip circles (like a hula), leg circles, knee circles (w/ hands on knees), and ankle circles. Begin slowly and increase speed as the joints and muscles warm up.

8. No-Weight Gym Exercises

Standard gym exercises like curls, overhead presses, front presses, lunges, squats, and toe raises can all be done in the classroom without weights. Do 10-12 repetitions each, slowly and with good form, and then repeat.

9. Burpees

Burpees are tough, but loads of fun. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and hands at your side. On a count of one squat down and place your hands on either side of feet. On count two kick your feet back and into a push-up position. On count three return your feet to just inside your hands. And on count four jump as high as you can.

10. Twists

Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Clasp your hands together and bring your elbows out and up to shoulder height. Now twist to your right, pushing your right elbow back and around behind you while pivoting up on your left toe. Repeat to the left, and then continue back and forth.

Note: Although the exercises above are considered safe, injuries can happen. Take it easy, be safe, and be aware of your student’s individual exercise limitations (if any).

Adding Music

I recommend adding music to your 5-minute exercise breaks. When combined with exercise, music clears the mind and improves mental performance.

Music is also a strong motivator for students, and it will give your exercises a rhythm that will help them follow along with the movements.

Schedule It

I’ve found that if you schedule your exercise breaks–once in the morning and once in the afternoon–your students will look forward to them.

This way, when they begin feeling restless, distracted, and prone to misbehavior, they’ll be able to push through knowing an exercise break is just around the corner.

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- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

It’s one of the great challenges of teaching.

How do you compete with the distractions of a modern student’s life?

How do you interest them in what you’re offering when their entertainment options are so immediate, so exciting, and so easy?

How do you sell them on the cool complexity of a quadratic equation or the beauty of a delicate ecosystem?

How do you get them to appreciate the harsh struggle of the Lewis and Clark expedition or the clean simplicity of a well-written sentence?

How do you get them to pay attention in a world of instant gratification?

You can always dress up like Sacagawea. You can dance around your room in your lab coat bellowing, “She blinded me with science!” You can bring in your dog to show off his Pavlovian response.

Students love these kinds of things, no doubt about it. But every day? For every lesson? It just isn’t realistic.

Save your most attention-getting intros and time-consuming planning for cornerstone lessons; those that future learning is dependent upon.

For the day-to-day, however, you need on-the-spot strategies you can count on to get students to brighten up, lean forward, and hang on your every word—or at least most of them.

Here are three simple strategies you can pull out of your back pocket whenever you need them.

1. Exercise

Before beginning your lesson, ask your students to stand and join you for two-minutes of light exercise. You can do jumping jacks, knee bends, twists, stretches, or your favorite yoga poses. Anything that spikes the heart rate will do.

Studies show that exercise can boost brain function, improve mood, and increase learning. I’ve found that it clears mental clutter and provides the energy boost students need to be at their best.

Once they sit back down, your students will be refreshed, rebooted, and ready for learning. Use exercise breaks throughout the day and you’ll notice a difference in your students’ attentiveness and performance.

2. Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful way to introduce lessons. Nothing captures attention as effectively. For example, tell a five-minute story about your first roller coaster ride, and by the time you get to the topic of potential energy, every student will be strapped in and following along.

The inherent mystery in stories draws students into whatever world you create for them. And it keeps them there as they transform your descriptions into moving pictures in their head.

Stories also provide deeply layered context for students, linking their memories, emotions, and viewpoints to your lesson objectives. This makes complex ideas, like potential energy, easier to understand and remember.

Note: Storytelling can do more than just improve attentiveness. In fact, done a certain way, it can be one of your most effective classroom management strategies. To find out how, see Key #9: Be A Great Storyteller in the book Dream Class.

3. Curiosity

This strategy uses curiosity, which all students have in abundance, to entice them to follow along. And it’s as easy as it gets. Easy, though, doesn’t mean less effective. You can use this strategy several times a day, and it will never lose its attention-attracting luster.

The curiosity strategy starts with a promise. The teacher asks students to pay close attention, to mentally engage throughout the early stages of the lesson because, if they do, there will be a payoff at the end.

For example, the teacher might say, “Stick with me through these first couple of steps and I’m going to show you something really cool.” (Or we’re going to do something really cool–or amazing, scary, hilarious, beautiful, fascinating, easy, fun, or any number of possibilities.)

By holding back the part of the lesson that is most interesting or attractive to students, and dangling it like a carrot, you provide students a compelling reason to pay attention.

When you pause and look around the room before revealing the one thing they’ve been waiting for, you’ll see the anticipation on their faces. And their recall of everything leading up to that moment? Spot on.

There Is Always A Way

I know there are times when teaching can seem overwhelming. When nothing seems to work. When you’re tired and stressed. The hours are long. There is always so much to do.

But there is great hope. Because beneath the frustration, beneath the gloom and doom roar of the media, beneath the jaded cynicism of some of our colleagues, is this quiet fact:

There is always a way.

Shortcuts, strategies, and solutions abound to make teaching easier, faster, less stressful, more effective, and a lot more fun.

You really can create the class you want.

And I’m here to help you.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Do you repeat yourself when giving directions?

Most teachers do.

Besides wasting time and energy, repeating yourself weakens the power of your words.

It causes students to tune you out.

When your students become conditioned to you repeating yourself, they know they can take their time following your directions.

They can finish the paragraph they’re reading. They can carry on their conversation a bit longer. They can cruise through the day without urgency because they know you’ll repeat your directions—and anything else important—over and over again.

How To Speak With Power

Repeating yourself is a habit you must break if you want your words to have impact. The good news is that it isn’t difficult to do. Chances are, you’ll find it liberating.

Just follow these eight steps:

1. Stop moving.

Before addressing your class, stop moving and stand in one place. This helps students focus on you and your message. It also acts as a modeling device; they’ll mimic what they see from you.

2. Ask for attention.

Ask for your students’ attention using a normal speaking voice. I recommend something simple like, “Can I have your attention, please.” Then wait until every student is quiet and looking at you before opening your mouth.

3. Say it once.

Give your instructions once using clear, direct language. And don’t over explain. Giving too much information is a common mistake. Keep it simple. Tell your students only what you want them to do.

4. Pause.

A longer-than-normal pause will keep students focused on you. If you speak again right away without a generous pause, you’ll lose them. Looking away as the teacher begins speaking is another behavior teachers condition students to do. A well-timed pause eliminates this danger.

5. Ask a negative.

Ask your students if any of them does not know what to do. This is an effective questioning technique that helps shift the responsibility for learning from the teacher to the students. If a student does raise his or her hand, tell the student to ask a neighbor after you give your signal to begin.

6. Give your “Go” signal.

Go is a power word that initiates action. As soon as you say it, your students will get busy doing something. If you follow the guidelines given here, however, they’ll do what you ask of them.

7. Don’t help.

You’ve done your part. Now it’s their turn. The responsibility to carry out your instructions lies with them, not you. If you notice a student lost or unsure of what to do, resist jumping in to help.

Give the student a chance to figure out what to do on his/her own or to ask a classmate. If you’re the type of teacher who is quick help, then you’ll create dependent students (i.e., learned helplessness).

8. Do not repeat.

If a student asks you what they’re supposed to do, answer by telling the student to follow your directions. This encourages students to 1) listen intently to directions and 2) take responsibility by finding out from a classmate. This is key to creating a classroom of sharp, independent students.

Big Benefits

By following the guidelines above and never repeating yourself, you’ll cut the amount of talking you do in half. You’ll have better energy at the end of the day. You’ll get a lot more done.

But best of all, your words will have power—power that causes students to tune in to the sound of your voice and to carry out your directions with speed and accuracy.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.

It is one of the most common teacher complaints.

You give a single direction to a quiet and seemingly attentive classroom, and then watch as a third of your students either don’t know what to do, or they do it incorrectly.

It’s as if some students tune out the sound of your voice.

They’ve become so reliant on you repeating yourself, or on others to clue them in, that they don’t listen to the initial direction.

Does the following scenario ring a bell?

Calmly at first:

Take out your math books, open to page 32, and then look up at me.

Still patient:

Please take out your math books, open to page 32, and then look up at me.

Louder now:

I said, take out your math books, open to page 32 and then look at me.

Hands cupped, yelling:

TAKE… OUT… YOUR… MATH… BOOKS… NOW!

And just like that, you’re stressed and frustrated.

The “Simple First” Listening Strategy

I have a strategy that works to get students to listen to your directions in any circumstance and every single time. I know that’s a big statement, but I plan to deliver on that promise.

You can hold me to it.

This strategy so effective, in fact, that you can use it with a group of students you’ve just met, and they’ll follow your directions like a champion drill team.

It works for elementary school teachers who see the same students everyday, but it is particularly helpful for middle and high school teachers who don’t have the luxury of time to work on classroom management as much as they’d like.

I call it the “simple first” strategy.

It’s a goofy name, I know. But I like it because it describes what it is and makes the strategy easy to remember. And it’s not teacher-speak, which you won’t find on this site (i.e., informed instruction, teachable moment, collaboration, bleaagh!).

The way the strategy works is that you get your students listening to simple and physical directions first before giving more important directions.

And it only takes a few seconds.

Here’s how it works:

Give your students a series of simple, meaningless directions. Make them physical in nature and that everyone in the room can see being done.

For example, you might start by saying:

Stand up.

Say it once and wait until everyone is standing. Then give another direction.

Sit down.

Now add slight complexity.

Stand behind your chair.

Keep it going until every student is following your verbal directions quickly and correctly.

Touch your hands to your shoulders. Cross your arms. Sit down. Place your hands flat on your desk.

If at this point all of your students are following along, slide in your important directions.

Take out your math book. Open to page 32. Look at me.

You will find that they will perform this intended and important direction perfectly. And now you have their ears—and attention—tuned in to you.

You’re going to be thrilled at how easy this strategy is to use and how well it works.

It also has staying power. Although it takes less than a minute, you won’t have to use it all the time. Just use it a couple of times a week or whenever you need it.

Easy as can be.

Keys To Remember

It’s important to remember the following keys to make the “simple first” strategy most effective.

1. Stand in one place.
2. Give one direction at a time.
3. Don’t repeat yourself.
4. Pause between each direction.
5. Don’t model the direction; use voice instruction only.
6. Speak in a normal voice—volume on low.

The “simple first” strategy is effective because it trains students to listen for the sound of your voice and to follow directions precisely and the first time they’re given.

Thanks for reading.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

- Smart Classroom Management - Copyright 2009-2011, All Rights Reserved.