Increasing Student Engagement - 5 Ways to Get Your Most Easily Distracted Students Engaged

3/1/2015 17 Comments

How to Engage your Easily Distracted Students

Unique Tips and Strategies for Keeping Distracted Students Engaged

How often do those 3 or 4 kids just seem to be zoned out? These tips will help to draw them back in and keep them on their toes.

The ideas will also help you keep the attention of the entire class.

Tip #1: Use an attention signal

Use an Attention Signal to Engage Students

Tip #2: Re-focus with color switches, fresh starts, and seat rotations

Tip #3: Use student response cards

Student Response Cards for Feedback and Assessment

Student Response Cards - Download for Student Engagement

Download student response cards here. Print on colored paper so you can identify responses at a glance.

Tip #4: Have students "tag" ideas

Students love to be "woken up" by a call to the board to do what I call a "slap-on" to show that they have been paying attention. You can have them identify key vocabulary, the most important points, common mistakes, formulas, and more!

Add some action to your daily notes!
Grab the download: printable "slap-on" tags for your board.

Tip #5: Squeeze in! Accommodate everyone at the board

In a classroom with boards all along two walls, I have had success with bringing the entire class at the board all at once. I notice a big difference in attention and motivation when students work at the board. No one is uncomfortable having their work "on display" if everyone is there together. They are more likely to ask for help as you walk around because their work is visible. The students really enjoy this format and are much more engaged.

Feel free to leave a comment to share your own ideas for increasing student engagement!

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17 Comments

Leslie link

2/23/2016 06:41:33 pm

Excellent suggestions for our very low energy and inattentive 6th graders.

Math Giraffe link

2/23/2016 08:22:52 pm

Thanks so much, Leslie!
I'm glad a few of these can be useful to you.
I appreciate your comment! :)
-Brigid

Kristine

2/25/2016 03:53:46 pm

I like these ideas! I wish I could use the "squeeze everyone in" tip, but we have an MX800 that requires a pen... so only one person can be working up there at a time.

I'd also like to try the response cards, I've got one class in particular in mind. They will sit there staring at me and feel totally clueless instead of saying "I'm lost" or "please slow down." The response cards could make it easier to get a read on how they're feeling.

Thank you!

Math Giraffe link

2/25/2016 04:18:06 pm

You're welcome! Thanks so much, Kristine!
I hope you students like getting more involved with the response cards. Enjoy! :)
-Brigid

Lauren link

2/28/2016 07:58:06 pm

I love the tip about telling the student to switch pen colors when taking notes. I can see that simple step keeping some of my sixth graders (and my own son in 4th) who have issues focusing, stay on track.

Great ideas!

Math Giraffe link

2/28/2016 08:39:11 pm

Thanks so much, Lauren!
Yeah, sometimes it's amazing how the tiniest tweaks can just trigger a little re-focusing in the brain! I hope this helps your students and your son :)
Thank you!
-Brigid

Maggie

3/6/2016 09:27:21 am

I love these ideas! Thank you. I'm going to start using them tomorrow!

Math Giraffe link

3/6/2016 03:44:29 pm

Awesome! You're welcome, Maggie! :) So glad you can try some of these this week. Sometimes the little changes make a big difference. Hope it helps! Thanks so much,
-Brigid

Yolanda Rivera link

3/24/2016 09:08:32 pm

Este es un exelente trabajo, gracias por compartir éste material.Los maestros necesitamos de este tipo de material para animar a nuestros estudiantes y a nosotros los maestros.Bendiciones.

Carol Wingard

8/5/2016 05:59:35 am

I love the idea of the student response cards. If you have not yet been introduced to Jo Boaler's work on Mathematical Mindset and mixed ability classrooms, check it out. I think the cards would work well for differentiation. I was wondering how you use these cards. Do you make and distribute to each student? Do they keep and bring to class every day? Please explain. Thanks.

Math Giraffe link

8/5/2016 08:15:15 pm

Hi Carol,
Yes, that book is the next thing on my list. Can't believe it has taken me this long, but I will definitely be diving into that as soon as possible. The easiest way for the response cards is actually to print one laminated class set and leave one set in a pocket on the side of each desk. That way, you do not have to print a ton, and they don't have to remember to bring them! They are just always within reach whenever any group is in your classroom. Win-win! :) Hope this helps. Thanks so much for commenting! Have a great school year!
-Brigid

Baye link

10/13/2016 08:02:25 am

Great ideas here--every one. Will be sharing with the two new teachers in the family.

Math Giraffe link

10/14/2016 03:07:33 pm

Thanks so much, Baye! I really appreciate that! :)
-Brigid

Shallin

1/21/2017 11:32:12 pm

I just discovered your ideas on Pinterest, TpT, and now this blog, and I LOVE ALL of it!!! I'm in blog heaven! Today, I am officially no longer a first-year middle school math teacher! Yay for year 2!

I have tried to increase engagement through lap whiteboards that students hold up when they finish a problem. With 33-36 students in each class, I want to try having half working at the wall white boards while half work with their own lap boards. However, in just one year, I've gone through dozens of destroyed (smashed-tipped) white board markers, and many of the lap boards, which I bought with my own money, are cracked and chipped. I have gone through 2 full classroom sets of rulers. I stated the expectations for using these items at the beginning of the year, and I constantly reminded students of the expectations (such as, the rulers must stay flat on the table at all times), but they still break the rules and break my stuff! A few months ago, I locked everything away, and now I rarely get it out. We get $150 of teacher money each year, and that doesn't begin to cover what I have spent. So, as excited as I am to try all of these ideas, including the doodle pages I purchased from your TpT store, I need some help first! How do I get the students to not destroy or steal stuff? I used colored pencils for a math coloring activity a few weeks ago, and someone stole an entire package! I have colored paper cups in red, green, and yellow, and I bought them for the same idea as the colored response cards, but I don't dare get them out. I have even had my lunch stolen off my desk! I have taken time to specifically talk about these concerns and problems with my classes, and I have worked hard to teach respect in general, but it doesn't seem to be working. I definitely don't dare purchase nice felt pens for doodling pages. Do you have any advice for me?!

Math Giraffe link

1/22/2017 06:52:15 pm

Hi, Shallin!
YAY! :) So glad to hear you are loving it all. That's awesome.

These are such frustrating and common problems. I wish I had the solution. Being accountable for an individual set of items is the best way I have found. In middle school/high school, it's not really possible to put each student's name on each supply since classes are in and out, but you can try desk numbers. Everything goes in a pouch hanging off the side of the desk/table and each piece is numbered to match the desk. Get students in the habit of checking that each item they are responsible is present at the beginning of class while they do the warm-up. IF anything is missing, they let you know, and you know to go to the student from the previous period who sits in that particular seat. Then, at the end of each class, students are responsible for returning each item to the pouch. If something is damaged or missing, the next student to walk in will report it. I wish there was an easier solution. If anyone else reading along has a better way, please jump in! :) Hope this helps!
Thanks so much!
-Brigid

Shallin

1/23/2017 09:09:51 pm

Thank you so much for the suggestions! I had a new student aide for the first time today, and I had her label and number EVERYTHING!

Also, thanks again for the awesome doodle notes! I can't wait to start using them (tomorrow!).

m2r

12/20/2021 01:44:00 am

Wow, normally when I read school tips or suggestions, they are so silly. Many are definitely useless, as they’d only work on a utopia, but yours were so cleaver. Thank you!

YOUR CART

How to Engage your Easily Distracted Students

Tip #1: Use an attention signal

Tip #2: Re-focus with color switches, fresh starts, and seat rotations

Tip #3: Use student response cards

Tip #4: Have students "tag" ideas

Tip #5: Squeeze in! Accommodate everyone at the board

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YOUR CART

How to Engage your Easily Distracted Students

Tip #1: Use an attention signal

Tip #2: Re-focus with color switches, fresh starts, and seat rotations

Tip #3: Use student response cards

Tip #4: Have students "tag" ideas

Tip #5: Squeeze in! Accommodate everyone at the board

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