Three brief examples of teacher behaviors that gain attention and motivate students to maintain focus and persist to complete tasks. Two settings: getting prepared to listen, completing an in-class assignment.
Strategies summary
Positive consequences for attention and focus
Referential speaking (individual praise shared with others) to positively reinforce task oriented questions
Touch and physical proximity
Praise for what has been accomplished
Consistent strategy to gain class attention- interventions by teacher are brief
Student behavior
Off task, not completing assignments, self-doubt, interruptions
Questions to consider
1. What was the teacher trying to accomplish?
2. What might be happening that causes children to loose focus and disengage?
3. What alternative strategies might have worked with these first grade children?
