One of the most daunting tasks for teachers today is keeping kids engaged in class. In this modern era students are not that easy to handle as it was in early ages. Many teachers feel difficulty in creating a welcoming environment for kids and gain their interest in the class. Kids must not only be physically engaged in class but should also actively participate mentally.
The most important part in successfully engaging students in class are how a teacher enters the class and starts the lecture. A teacher who comes in a class with a lazy look and starts with low energy just looses interest of students in class. As the teacher starts up a lecture he/she should look fresh, active and enthusiastic. Starting lecture with high energy pushes students to respond actively to what teacher delivers. Once a student sees that the teacher is excited to teach then the student also gets excited to learn. The class should be started with a mind warm up activity which may include a short game or discussing about a picture or object related to the subject.
Including visual aids in a lecture help students gain interest and also easily understand what a teacher can’t explain without any visual aid. Everyone learns to understand better what they see rather than what they hear, so visual aids are an effective way of keeping kids engaged. Visual aids may include videos or presentations or pictures related to the topic. There must be two to three minutes break during lecture in which there should be a planned physical exercise e.g. clapping hands or stretching out. This helps students to refocus on the topic with more concentration and interest.
Apart from being enthusiastic and using visual aids teachers should mix it up by changing routine i.e. changing a typical pattern of work that students get sick of following day. If you change your routine by just doing something a little different, it changes the monotony of things. Same is the case with students. If every morning you ask students to follow the same routine, after some time they will feel bored of it and will not fully participate in class. Changing routine every few months keeps students at toes and they enjoy working in a varying environment.
Mind warm up, enthusiasm, visual aids, physical exercise, varying routine, often involving students in questions regarding the ongoing lecture and surprise tests are tools that a teacher can use to keep kids engaged in class.
