Attention Strategies for Students

Nowadays, there seems to be alot of inattention happening in the classroom. It may be due to boredom, or students not being engaged in a lesson, and at other times it can be due to a student having difficulty as a result of specific issues like Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Please find below some strategies that educators can use in their classrooms to assist students in gaining more focus:

Strategies

Establish basic classroom rules / procedures

Reduce the number of new ideas presented at one time

Provide activities that allow for active participation

Arrange for short blocks of instruction

Move around the room while teaching

Use positive reinforcement

Use your voice to signal emphasis on a certain item

Ensure that the material presented is at the student’s level of understanding

Go over expectations with the student

Provide visual aids

Ensure that the student sees an end to the task

Arrange a cue word for the student to go back to their desk

Provide immediate reinforcement

Have a specific seating arrangement to limit distractions for the student

Develop problem solving skills

Stop, think, and act

Learn social cues

Use time efficiently

Make eye contact with the student

Establish a system of rewards to improve productivity

Establish and communicate logical consequences for behaviours

Set behavioural goals with student and parents

Model good listening behaviours


Of foremost importance in implementing the above mentioned strategies should be the establishment of communication with the student and their parents. With open lines of communication in the best interests of the student, success should be imminent.

For further information regrading Attention Deficit Disorder, visit the linked website here at Kids Health.org.

Mrs. Harwood