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Teaching Teens- How to Get Their Attention and KEEP It!Brooke Steele, Jay High School Email: Steelecb@santarosa.k12.fl.usImagine your high school classroom. Think what bothered you and what you would like to have had in the place of it. Remember how bad you feel at faculty meetings or inservice- now, do it differently.Teaching teens for over 15 years, I have seen that they need to feel like we SEE them and HEAR them. They also have a desire to move and interact with one another solving problems.Day 1- meet them in hallway. Talk to them. Seating in class- card with matching one on desk, numbers- just something that makes them move.Posters on wall- Be a WINNER, not a WHINERWe’ve got GRIT, we don’t quitBellwork- always something to do so you can talk to the othersMonday MemoriesTrivia TuesdayWisdom WednesdayThinking ThursdayFact FridayClass Meetings- every Monday, you can have class meetings for about 10 minutes only. This is a time to solve problems and go over the events of the week, set the tone, etc. After the first few weeks, students run these meetings. A sheet stays up all of the time to add to our “agenda”. If a problem comes up in class, we add it to our agenda.Set up your room for success- make it feel like home to you. Make sure you have room to walk through students. High schoolers like the “home feel”.Focus Fridays: I used Fridays to teach my students how to manage stress. So much of what we do in education can cause a great deal of stress in students and teachers. This 10-15 minutes teaches various strategies to handle stress. We may talk about test anxiety, yoga, anything that research shows can help. Discipline with High Schoolers. These strategies will keep this at bay, but in case:Don’t go head to head with them in front of studentsGo to desk and calmly ask them to talkIf you have to write them up, follow up with them BEFORE next class- let them know you just want them to be successful and sometimes that means they are going to be in class learning and sometimes they are going to have to take a break and start again the next day”.Games while learningStand up game: students get to sit as they share. This helps sleepy students, so use when necessaryBrain BreaksSnowball Fight6 Word StoryKahootMove a LOT- debate. Those who agree, get on this side of the room. Timer on wallFireplace when readingMusic for themes as they walk inLights off when computers are on sometimesSpooky reading Poe in the dark with flashlights (phones)Throw foam ball when answering questionsWhen students are answering questions, make them “add to what the other student said”. This keeps them on their toes because they have to know what was said.Note taking during class- more senses used equals more retention of knowledge.We’re about to learn the definition of parabolas. Before we do, google 5 jobs that require you to know this. Write them on a piece of paper and the first one gets a prize.All kids aren’t going to like moving, so give some variety and options throughout as well. Use common sense to make sure you are doing some independent work as well.Athletes need to know how much of education is similar to sports: so much of test taking is MENTAL- just like hitting a baseball, when problems arise in a game, we have to make an adjustment. Athletes know that all practices aren’t “fun” but they push through with perseverance just like when studying for tests, reading, etc.Cherades from the boardCompetitions with other classesSurprise them with a treat of a visitorBe transparent, be real, laugh at yourself, laugh with students. Humble yourself and take risks- it's exactly what we want them to do so we must be willing to do it ourselves.Celebrate confusion: when you are confused, you are now open to finding solutions to the problemGrading: highlight one color means good and another color means bad. Then, students work to make corrections. Makes it more of a game.As I teach, I use WHOLE BRAIN STRATEGIES by Chris Biffle to keep them engaged. The idea is to keep students ENGAGED at ALL times. This strategy will seem RAMBUNCTIOUS, but the idea is that with WHOLE BRAIN, we keep the rambunctiousness under control. Students are going to be rambunctious regardless, so we may as well get that energy out in a GOOD way.Attention Getters: Class Class, Give me 5, Alright sunflowers (something crazy to get their attention)Rules (6), we say them daily led by studentsRules are different from PROCEDURES. With procedures, we prepare, prepare, prepare. Before hall assemblies, prepare. Before group work, prepare. Before group work, prepare. Practice often!Students can handle about 10 minutes of whole group instruction on a GOOD day. They may be looking at you, but they tune out after about 10 minutes. Change it up often- video clip, song, anything to keep them engaged. Move around while you are teaching. Desk switch 10 seconds- movement and new perspective for them. Wear bright colors. Use props that pertain to the lesson if possible. Overchievers: have an area set up with a list of things they can do if they finish early so the goal isn’t to just “be done”.Turn and TeachBlow in your handScoreboard10 FINGER WOOMighty Groan10 second partySuper Improvers Wall ................
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