How Can Teachers Get Their Students To Pay Attention In The Class?

Promoting a high level of attention is critical to a teacher’s ability to meet student learning outcomes

A culture of listening begins with the perception by the students that the teacher is absolute about attention. This perception can only be supported by the reality that the teacher is absolute. That means the teacher always expects 100% attention; when someone is talking and if there is anything but 100% attention, the teacher must stop and take action. The action itself does not have to be dramatic or severe but it does need to be automatic and consistent.

The same principle must apply to any member of the classroom community that is authorized to speak. A culture of listening goes far beyond telling students to listen to the teacher. It means showing respect to anyone who is sharing and expecting 100% attention and respect when you are speaking.

Getting Attention
A simple yet effective way to send the message that a teacher requires 100% attention is to always wait for all students to be attentive. And if a student or two are not listening fully, maybe take a simple but active step and stop directions while waiting for the student. It can be even more powerful to start directions from the beginning (e.g., “I notice we are not all listening, I will start again.”).

The use of shame and embarrassment is tempting, but avoid this. It is counterproductive. Likewise, do not refer to students who are not listening (i.e., negative recognitions); instead, restate the expectation (i.e., clarifying statement). If one student is demonstrating a habit of poor attention, that student should privately be given a logical consequence. The message to the whole class is: “There will never be a time when anyone is talking and it will be okay not to be listening.”

While promoting a high level of attention is critical to a teacher’s ability to meet student learning outcomes it also has a deeper value. It fosters in each student increased levels of respect for the ideas of others. As each student grows in their ability to attend and come out of their own ego-centered thought processes, they increasingly awaken to the world around them and are present to the moment. The starting point for bringing about positive change is helping students learn the value of learning to be attentive to the world around them, and creating a culture of listening and respect in the classroom is a vital tool for doing so.

Attention Cues
To initiate directions or signal the need for students to shift their focus from one state of attention to 100% attention it is necessary to use some type of an attention cue. The most effective cues are those that are more symbolic rather than literal.

For example, if we wanted to gain the attention of the class we could say, “Okay class, it is time for you to stop what you are doing and give me your attention.” This would work but it is problematic for a couple of reasons:

• It takes a lot of time to say all those words; and
• The more words used, the less likely it will be that the message has an impact.
• So instead, we can accomplish the same goal more effectively, with less time, by using a cue.

For instance, we might simply say “eyes and ears.”

• We can use any word, signal or sound that we prefer to signify the rather involved message that we need our students to be 100% attentive. However, over time the cue comes to represent all that is involved within the expectation related to what it means to demonstrate quality, attention and to take on the demeanor of a participant within a culture of listening.
• For younger students, clapping a rhythm and having the students respond with the same rhythm can be very effective.
• In a physical education setting a whistle can be a good choice.
• Some teachers find that silently raising their hand can act as an effective cue.
• At the secondary level, a simple cue word is typically effective.

There are many types of cues that are used to good effect. Find one that works for the needs of you and your students.

Effective Cues
An effective attention cue elicits a response that is as much on the level of the unconscious as it is on the conscious mind. Therefore, it should possess autonomic as well as behavioral qualities.

Autonomic Response
There should be a behaviorally conditioned response to your cue. Students should respond in large part because it is automatic and unconscious, and less because they are making a situational choice.

Behavioral Qualities
The most effective cues are those that exist symbolically (a word, a sound, or a signal) and/or behaviorally (an automatic response such as clapping a response or chanting a refrain), not as verbal information (Elias & Schwab, 2006). They should not occupy conscious energy in the students’ minds. They trigger within the students an internal mechanism in which they raise the class’s level of attention, focus, and awareness.

Making them Work
Attention cues work only if they are used purposefully. Here are some recommendations for employing them effectively:

• Use cues to move only from attention states to 100% attention.
• Never use a cue to gain attention when you are already expecting 100% attention. The expectation is that you already have 100% attention. The use of a cue indicates the change of a state of attention so when there is no change in the state, the use of a cue is not only redundant, but weakens the poser of the cue and person facilitating the action. If there is an expectation for 100% attention and one or more students are talking, a consequence, not another cue is called for.
• To help reinforce cues, use consequences such as stopping and waiting, proximity, or implementing personal consequences for those who demonstrate a habitual problem with attention.
• Remember that, if done calmly, stopping and waiting or starting over is a consequence, but if disappointment, a lecture, or another form of negativity is added, it becomes punishment.
• The cue will work to the degree that absoluteness is projected. This may require practice, deliberateness, and repeated consequences, but eventually the cue will become a natural part of class procedure.

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