Teaching Strategies
6 Unique Ways to Capture Student Attention
In today’s classroom, capturing students’ attention can become challenging. Distractions are everywhere, and sometimes, teachers may need to adopt innovative strategies to ensure kids are ready to learn and engage. Read on to learn from BrainPOPers, who are former educators, with tips on how to capture student attention while also creating a fun, active learning environment.
Six Tips to Capture Student Attention
Whether you’re a new or experienced teacher, you can always use more strategies to keep up with kids in the classroom. Here are some tips to consider:
1. Incorporate your student’s backgrounds
“Students will be more inclined to participate if they feel the topic is related to something they are invested in. Consider incorporating your student’s backgrounds and interests in your readings, classroom games, writing prompts, and other activities.” – Melissa Prescott, BrainPOP Regional Sales Manager
Want a fun way to get to know your students? Download a fun printable here.
2. Be fun
Try engaging your class in a new way. Consider starting class with something fun, try a different way to introduce lessons, or incorporate a new interactive strategy to learn.
3. Collaborative Stations
“I absolutely loved stations; they incorporate movement and multiple modalities, encourage teamwork, provide explicit instruction, and much more into one lesson. It was always incredibly fun for students and myself!” – Jamie M., BrainPOP Account Manager
4. Brain breaks
Maybe your students need to get those wiggles out. Brain breaks can help boost focus, productivity, and engagement. Consider a freeze party, dance break, or creative drawing or coloring activity to switch gears in between learning.
5. Switch up your delivery
“Try changing up your tone and volume. I remember getting a piece of advice from a classroom coach years ago with a chatty middle school ELA classroom. My coach suggested talking quietly one day to see if my students responded differently. I showed up to class and didn’t do my typical call-and-response. Instead, I provided their bell-ringer writing prompt in a quiet voice. Suddenly, students who would interrupt me or their classmates were confused but locked in. They didn’t understand why their typically energetic teacher was now talking barely above a whisper. This simple advice that I carried with me throughout my teaching career. ” – Melissa Prescott, BrainPOP Regional Sales Manager
6. Fun outside-the-box games
Try to incorporate lessons with a corresponding game. This can allow the students to connect to the material in a different way and work together as a team in a collaborative space.
Like this strategy that turns assessments into play with one simple game:
The benefits of having an attentive and active classroom
Naturally, the ultimate goal for a teacher is an engaged classroom. You want your students to be learning, engaged, and excited about what they’re working on every day.
“When students are attentive and engaged, they learn more from you and their peers! Engaged students can look different depending on the desired outcome. For example, this could look like reading quietly during independent reading time; a lively discussion in World History; entertaining performances during a class reader’s theatre, or helping peers solve a hard word problem.” – Melissa Prescott, BrainPOP Regional Sales Manager
For more on student collaboration and active learning, check out this article.
Capture student attention through engaged learning
By incorporating these strategies in your teaching practice, you can create engaged and motivated classrooms, leaning into fun and student interest. You can also foster a creative learning environment that embraces the love of learning for years to come.
For more teaching resources, visit our Growing with BrainPOP hub.
Kelli Rascoe is a Sr. Content Strategy Manager at BrainPOP. She has nine years of experience in writing, content marketing, and strategy for tech and Fortune 500 brands. She is also the momma to a princess scientist and a pack of rescue pups.
