The Teaching Box

As a teacher, one of the hardest tasks is trying to motivate and engage your pupils. No matter how old or young they are, some of the pupils in your class are likely to get more distracted than others. Some may chatter with their friends and others may fidget and not listen to a word you say. But how can this be avoided in the classroom?

By combining an innovative and exciting lesson plan with your experience and management skills, you will ensure that your pupils have a fun and enjoyable lesson, whilst learning as much as possible.

Here’s how to ensure your class stays focused on the task in hand:

Introduce group work

Perhaps your class are mainly used to working as individuals as opposed to working as part of a team? By organising your pupils into small groups they will learn to work well as a group whilst generating great ideas for class discussions. As a teacher this will allow you to set more difficult tasks, allowing all of the children to work together to produce some fantastic ideas.

Why is this beneficial?

-          Allows pupils to utilise different skills, knowledge and experiences

-          Working in grouped environments is great preparation for their future working careers.

-          Varying the classroom experience.

Offer rewards

So it’s Friday at the end of the day. Despite your best efforts, you have found that your pupils aren’t thoroughly focused on their work. Introducing a reward or starting a competition is one of the best ways to motivate your class and if the prize is something they will really get excited about, it is likely to make them work much harder. Offering educational gifts to them such as books and equipment will also encourage them to work and learn at home.

Remain Open-minded

Although there are certain ground rules that you must set out when you begin your teaching career, it is wise that you remain open minded and observe how your pupils will learn best. Study what lessons and activities they enjoy the most and try to repeat those lesson plans in a unique and different way.

This article was written on behalf of Lord Wandsworth College; a leading institution of education in Hampshire. For further information on Lord Wandsworth College,  click here.