Professional Reading

Title: Ways ti Increase a Student’s Attention Span

Author: David Reeves

The limited attention span of students is one of the most difficult aspects of being
a teacher, especially at lower levels. They cannot work for an extended period of time
while seated in a chair. The marketing director of Grounds for Play, David Reeve,
suggested some ideas in his post that could help students focus on their schoolwork
and have a longer attention span.

 Include Physical Activity- Before giving the students another assignment, offer
them a pause for active play such as ball bouncing, brief stretches, or jumping
jacks.
 Adjust Time Frames- Break up long passages of information into shorter ones
rather than talking about it all at once. For instance, you might have a 15-minute
conversation followed by a 5-minute break before moving on to another 15
minutes of discussion before another break, and so on.
 Play Memory Games- Red-light-green-light, I-spy, and Simon Say are a few
examples of memory games that can help youngsters improve their focus in a fun
way. Memory games like these compel kids to pay attention and concentrate.
 Rate (and change) Task- Allow students to rate the task on a scale of 1 to 10, and
when they give it an 8 out of 10, ask them what they would change to make the
task more manageable. Sometimes students do not pay attention because the task
is too difficult.
 Remove Visual Distractions- It's important to avoid overcrowding the classroom
with visuals. Consider decluttering the images if they are causing the students'
focus and attention to be diverted.

The aforementioned techniques are some means of assisting our students in

becoming attentive. However, I firmly believe that no magic potion or formula can
transform our students' attention spans from drowsy to focused and engaged
overnight. I still firmly thought that they were born with this mindset when they were
little. As a result, having a great deal of patience and understanding is essential. To
make a big difference for our students, we must invest more time, thought, and effort.

Reference:
Reeves, D. (2015, July 10), Ways to Increase a Student’s Attention Span.
https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/7-ways-increase-student’s-attention-span
 Title: A 4-Part System for Getting to Know Your Student
Author: Jennifer Gonzalez

Building solid relationships with your students is arguably the most important

thing you can do to be an effective teacher. It helps you build trust so students take
academic risks, allows you to better differentiate for individual needs, and prevents
the kinds of power struggles often found in poorly managed classrooms.

Although most teachers value relationship-building, most don’t have any kind of
systematic approach for making that happen. We get to know students whenever
there’s time to squeeze it in, and this yields uneven results: Extroverted students make
themselves known right away, others we get familiar with on a surface level, and far
too many go largely unnoticed.

You’ll get to know your students faster and more thoroughly if you have a system
in place, a way to make sure you give sufficient attention to every child and store the
information you gather for easy access later. From the article of Jennifer Gonzalez, a
teacher in America she proposed some strategies that might help teachers get to know
better their students and help build strong relationship and connection with them.

PART 1: BREAK THE ICE

Classroom icebreakers are a classic strategy for helping everyone feel more
comfortable on the first day of school. But not all icebreakers are created equal:
Many can be irritating, others are embarrassing, and some do nothing to actually help
students get to know each other, so it’s important to choose icebreakers that really
help you and your students get acquainted in a comfortable, fun way.

PART 2: TAKE INVENTORY

In the first few days of school, distributing a getting-to-know-you questionnaire

to students (or to their parents, if you teach young kids), is the most efficient way to
gather information about every child. Most teachers already have some version of
this, where we ask about students’ favorite books or music, learn about their favorite
hobbies and sports.

Teachers can also asked about whether students have any health or allergy issues,
what kind of technology they have at home, and whether their time is split between
more than one household. For older students, Teachers can also ask about outside
responsibilities like jobs or extracurricular activities, so teachers knowbwhat else is
competing for students’ time. While you’re at it, take time now to learn how to
pronounce each student’s name correctly, and what they prefer to be called. This
makes a big difference.

PART 3: STORE YOUR DATA

Now that you have gathered all kinds of information on students, you need to do
something with it. For most teachers, that means reading over the student surveys,
then filing them away somewhere, never to be looked at again. Instead of letting this
valuable information slip away. The biggest advantage of having all the information
in one place is that it makes it easy to occasionally refresh your memory. Because the
chances of spending quality time with each student are slim. So make a separate chart
for every class period and do five students per class, per night. Use whatever
shorthand you can to cut down on the typing time. Chip away at it until it’s done.
You’ll be glad you did.

PART 4: DO REGULAR CHECK-UPS

The beginning of the school year isn’t the only time to touch base with students.
Several times throughout the year, or at the halfway point at the very least, survey
students about how things are going for them. Ask how they feel about class
procedures and rules, whether the assignments are fair, and how challenged they feel.
It’s also useful to ask open-ended questions like “What would you like to see more of
in this class?” and “What else should I know?” These kinds of questions can uncover
all kinds of information that you might never have known about otherwise.

Thus, as teacher it is also our duty that we help our students develo ptheir skills
and talents. The abovementioned strategies are some ways on how teacher can create
a friendly environment with the students. Getting to know students sounds like a
simple thing to do, something that just comes naturally and doesn’t require any
planning. Unfortunately, we don’t always end up putting as much effort into this as
we think. As we teach classroom procedures, get bus and lunch forms filled out, and
begin diving into our content, relationship-building can fall by the wayside. By
putting this system into place, you ensure that one of your most important jobs—
getting to know each and every student—is done exceptionally well.

Reference: Gonzalez, J (2016, July 10) A 4-Part System for Getting to Know Your
Student. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/relationship-building/?
fbclid=IwAR3ppCjyh3n6YHJb2mMvjyihqzv-bEPlMlqDh--
hkA7SmioYSOwBu6ktfco
 Title: 2 Ways to Bring Games Into Your Classroom
Author: Hubert Ham

The issue of student involvement and engagement is one of the difficulties

teachers commonly confront. It has gotten worse in modern times as a result of the
abrupt change in our teaching style from modular to face-to-face. Huber Ham
suggested using games as a novel method for involving students and simultaneously
assessing them in an article he wrote. He clarified how the terms "gamification" and
"game-based learning" differ in his work.

Gamification- It occurs when parts of a game are incorporated into a non-game

activity. As an illustration, consider alternating the teaching of non-game tasks with
the rules of the game of choice.

Advantages of Gamification

 Can activate both intrinsic motivation (pleasure and fulfillment) and extrinsic
motivation (recognition and rewards).
 The teacher has the authority to control the activity because they are the ones who
came up with it.
 The role of the teacher can also unleash their creativity and encourage them to
experiment with more engaging teaching methods.

 Game-based Learning- to engage students in learning the material, it

incorporates games like already-existing boards, social games, or video games.
You use a game's content to achieve your desired learning objectives.

Advantages of Game-based Learning

 Can access a range of ed-tech tools that are appropriate for the lesson's subject.
 Many video games on YouTube are readily available, and the costs are generally
modest.
 There are many different types of specialized games available, including board
games, card games, and video games.

As educators, it is our responsibility to create ways to inspire a passion for

learning in our students, especially as they transition from online to in-person
learning. Contentment and compassion should always be in harmony. When they are
playing various learning activities or when their minds and hearts are in their optimal
states, they will learn most effectively.

Reference: Ham, H. (2021, March 31). 2 Ways to Bring Games Into Your Classroom.
https://www.edutopia.orh/article/two-ways-bring-games-your-classroom