UNINDÚSTRIA

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FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA DE DOCENTES E INSTRUTORES

THIAGO DA SILVA OLIVEIRA

SECURING STUDENTS’ ATTENTION IN CLASS

MIRANDÓPOLIS
2023
PROJECT THEME
The objective of this project is to seek teaching strategies that promote greater
engagement among students and, as a consequence, ensure a higher level of focus from those
involved, both during the explanation of proposed activities and throughout their
development. The choice of this topic aligns with my professional experience. During my
classes, I noticed that students would easily lose focus, requiring frequent attention calls. Such
habits made the classroom routine tiresome, both for me and for them.

KEYWORDS: teaching strategies, student engagement, attention and focus, pedagogical

practice.

RESEARCH FINDINGS
As soon as I identified the problem, I began researching how I could change this
reality I was facing. I found articles and websites focused on education, foundations,
concepts, and strategies that I could incorporate into my classes to achieve greater attention
and engagement from students. According to Coates (n.d.), "in today's classrooms demands
that educators give attention to the generational issues that affect how students learn and how
effectively they learn." On the website (Best, 2020), I found a list of 20 strategies that could
contribute to my lesson planning. Among the listed strategies, the ones that caught my
attention the most were:
- Connect learning to the real world.
- Engage students through their interests.
- Use group work and collaboration.
- Scaffold tasks with checkpoints.
- Get your students moving.
- Focus on discovery and inquiry.

HYPOTHESIS
After reviewing the studies mentioned in the previous section, I began to reflect on
which ones were missing from my pedagogical practice. Upon this reflection, I came to the
conclusion that my classes tended to be more teacher-centered rather than student-centered.
Despite good intentions, the focus was on delivering the content and asking my students to
systematize that content through oral and/or written exercises. This type of methodology, also
known as traditional methodology, did not align with the profile of today's students.
With the development of technology, resources have allowed today's children to have
control over the flow of information, deal with discontinuous information, cope with
information overload, blend virtual and real communities, and communicate within networks
according to their needs (Brasil Escola, n.d.). Therefore, in order to capture attention and
make the learning process more interesting and engaging, a change was necessary.

PLAN INTERVENTION
After analyzing the problem, researching possible solutions, and forming hypotheses
about my teaching methods and students' profiles, I devised my intervention plan. I chose to
work with my 4th-grade students, focusing on teaching them the demonstrative pronouns
"this" and "that". To introduce the usage of these words, I developed a board game called
"The Hunter and the Hunted". In this game, students are paired up and provided with a game
board and a dice with the words "this" and "that" written on it. The objective of the game is to
keep the hunted character away from the hunter character. To determine whether they move
closer or farther on the board, students take turns rolling the dice. The game concludes after
10 rounds, regardless of whether the hunter catches the hunted or not.
Following the board game, I planned a "Guessing Game" activity. Each student
receives a card depicting an object they learned about in the lesson. The students form a
circle, with one student standing in the center. The student in the middle must identify a
classmate who possesses the same picture by using the language structure "That is a...". The
other student responds with "Yes/No. This is a...".
To wrap up the intervention plan, I assigned the students the task of recording a video
showcasing the objects they have in their rooms using the language structures they learned.
These videos will be shared on the class's Padlet platform.

INTERVENTION
During the intervention, I observed that the students responded positively. They were
attentive and engaged during the explanations about the planned games. It was evident that
they were actively participating and showing concentration. One aspect that pleasantly
surprised me was the increased participation of shy students who typically hesitated to speak.
They seemed more comfortable and willing to engage in conversations, or at the very least,
they made an effort to do so.

DATA COLLECTED
In order to gather diverse perspectives and insights to better understand the impact of
my intervention and identify areas for improvement in my activities, classes, and teaching
practices, I collected qualitative data. This included taking photos and recording videos during
the classes. Additionally, I made personal observations, but I recognized the importance of
obtaining the students' observations as well. Therefore, we conducted a group discussion to
explore the following topics:
1) What aspects of the class were different compared to their usual experience?
2) How did they feel about the changes implemented?
3) How did they evaluate their own performance?
4) Did the suggested activities effectively aid their understanding and learning of the
demonstrative pronouns?
By discussing these points, I aimed to gain valuable insights from the students'
perspectives, enabling me to refine my teaching approach and enhance future activities.

DATA ANALYSIS
Based on the analysis derived from my observations and the feedback provided by the
students, I observed a noticeable increase in their engagement during the proposed activities.
As previously mentioned in the Intervention section, I noticed that the students were more
focused and attentive during the explanations of the games. I believe this change in behavior
can be attributed to the fact that I incorporated elements of their interests and utilized games
as a challenging resource.
Additionally, students displayed a higher level of motivation to speak, including those
who are typically shy and hesitant to participate in class discussions. The use of a Padlet
platform further enhanced their enthusiasm. Firstly, as digital natives, students are
comfortable navigating technological tools. Secondly, they have a natural inclination towards
sharing aspects of their lives on social media. Recording a video presenting the objects in
their bedrooms provided an authentic opportunity to use English in a real-life context that
aligned with their personal interests.

REFLECTIONS, RESULTS AND NEXT STEPS.

This Action Research has led to several valuable reflections, particularly regarding my
role as a teacher. I must admit that initially, I observed the problems I was facing, but it was
easier to attribute blame to my students rather than acknowledge my responsibility in the
situation. It became evident that my classes lacked sufficient interest because I treated
students as passive recipients of knowledge. Moreover, their lack of attention during my
explanations stemmed from a perceived lack of relevance or connection to their world, reality,
or personal interests.
This project was significant as it provided a framework for finding a solution. The
results obtained reinforced the importance of giving students more credit, autonomy, time, and
space within the learning process. They thrive when given the opportunity to discover and
learn either independently or collaboratively. As teachers, our role is to guide them along this
journey.
As I contemplate my next steps, I am considering initiating a new project focused on
working with students who require adaptations and special attention in the classroom. This
endeavor will allow me to further develop my understanding of inclusive teaching practices
and explore ways to better support the diverse needs of all students.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Thiago da Silva Oliveira. I am 34 years old and reside in the city of
Mirandópolis in São Paulo State. I have been working as an English teacher since 2010.
Currently, I am employed at both a public school and a private school, where I teach students
ranging from 1st grade to 5th grade. Although challenging, I have a deep passion for my
profession and I am constantly eager to acquire new methodologies and strategies to enhance
my teaching practice.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

Best, J. (2020, 18 de junho). 20 Student Engagement Strategies for a Captivating Classroom.

3P Learning. Recuperado de
https://www.3plearning.com/blog/20-student-engagement-strategies-captivating-classroom/
Coates, J. (s.d.). Generational Learning Styles. Recuperado de
https://lern.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/all_teaching-and-learning_generational-learning-
styles_publication_2015.pdf

O aluno do século XXI - Desafios e perspectivas para o ensino de ciências e biologia - Brasil
Escola. (s.d.). Meu Artigo Brasil Escola. Recuperado em 17 de junho de 2023, de
https://meuartigo.brasilescola.uol.com.br/educacao/o-aluno-seculo-xxidesafios-pespectivas-pa
ra-ensino-.htm