How I use Verbal Attention

Signals to gain pupils attention

during teaching and learning
activities.
Intan Nasuha binti Abdul Sani
911025-06-5562
PISMP January 2012 Intake
TESL 2

1.0 Introduction
Classroom management is what teachers do to
ensure that children engage in the task at hand,
whatever that may be (Wragg, 2001).
Based on my teaching experiences, my
classroom instructions were hard to convey if the
classrooms were poorly managed.
Group alerting (Evertson, Emmer & Worsham,
2006) is a technique to maintain group focus.
A responsive attention signal includes some form
of call and response the intended interplay or
exchange between audience and speaker or
student and teacher (Muhammad & Hollie,
2012).

2.0 Focus of Study

I noticed that I did not managed to keep
pupils attention in the lesson for long.
Contributing to other problems;
i. Pupils misbehaviours
ii. Pupils produced unnecessary noises
iii. Interruption of instructional time.

. This study was focused on utilizing Verbal

Attention Signals to gain pupils attention
during teaching and learning activities.
. Verbal Attention Signals used : Listen-todo & Chanting

3.0 Research Question

i) How can I gain pupils attention
during teaching and learning
activities by using Verbal Attention
Signals?

4.0 Target Group

Year 3 Gemilang of a school located in
Sepang.
Proficiency level : Mixed ability
Demography of school : Sub-urban area
Gender

Race

Distribution

Boy

Girl

Malays Indians

Number of
pupils

16
(61.5
%)

10
(38.5%)

12
14
(46.2% (53.8%
)
)
26

Total

26

5.0 Action
Selection of
signals
(Listen-to-do
& Chanting)

Introducing
the Listen-todo signal

Introducing
the Chanting
signal

Randomized
use of the
signals

Semistructure
d
interview

Data
collecti
on
method
s

Questionna
ire

Checkli
st

6.0 Analysis and interpretation of

data
Semi-structured interview: The interviews
were recorded and transcribed, and the
data were analyzed according to the
themes.
Checklists: The data of the items included
were tabulated into percentages in a table
form.
Questionnaires: Tabulated numbers of the
data collection for each item were
translated into a bar graph.

7.0 Findings
THEMES

FINDINGS/CONCLUSION

Pupils preference over

the signals used

96% pupils react positively to the

questions asked in the
questionnaire.
Based on the interview, 100% of the
pupils said that they liked the
signals used.

Substitute and curb

misbehaviours

Based on the checklist, 94% of

pupils did curb their misbehaviours
at the usage of the signals.
Based in the interviews, 7 out of 8
pupils would choose to stop
misbehaving at the use of the
signals.

Attract whole class

reaction immediately

Based on the checklist, 100% of

pupils react to the signals
immediately.