Using an attention getter to quiet a classroom is as necessary to teachers as the lesson plan. This is especially true in elementary school, where children tend to have shorter attention spans. I have observed classrooms where the teacher uses a multitude of attention getters and others that do not use them at all. The success of attention getters is immeasurable, in my opinion. Attention getters can make a huge difference in the time it takes to quiet down a class. As soon as a teacher claps or calls out "class, class", children are coached to respond immediately, saving valuable and limited time that can be used for instruction. In the class where the teacher just stood quietly by, waiting for the students to notice her non-verbals of disapproval, it took up to 5 minutes to bring the noise levels down. Elementary school classrooms are so busy with intricately planned schedules, that 5 minutes can make an enormous difference to a teacher. Those five minutes could have been spent conducting a read aloud with the class's favorite book.
Formative Data
I have had several opportunities so far to use attention getters in my 2nd grade class. I used a few different methods, mostly the same as the ones their teacher uses, so as not to introduce something new, just yet. As the noise level grew during independent reading (IR), which is supposed to be completely quiet, I clapped five times with a specific rhythm and the children immediately repeated the claps and quieted down. During, IR however, the teacher is conducting guided reading with a small group of children in a corner of the classroom. They also looked back to respond to the claps. I had inadvertently interrupted the guided reading group by clapping. The next time I was presented with a similar situation, I chose to raise my hand and "give my students 5" while my palm faced out (FEAPS 2a & 2b). This method took a little longer to capture the student's attention, but it did not disrupt my CT's guided reading group. It was more effective for the situation than the clapping method. On another occasion, I was left alone with the class while the CT stepped out for a moment. While conducting a review on gravity, the students began to talk loudly during a period of transition. They were very noisy, so I yelled out loudly, "class, class", and they responded back very loudly, "yes, yes", almost in a scream! I was taken aback. I asked them, "why did you respond so loudly?", and they replied innocently, "because you yelled loudly". I was a little embarrassed, but I asked them, "so if i whisper "class, class, will you...", they interrupted me and responded in a whisper, "yes, yes". I understood immediately that the children were coached to not only respond to the attention getter, but to mimic the tone, pitch, and noise level the teacher used. It was an enlightening experience for me, because I never truly understood the importance of establishing these norms until I was faced with applying and enforcing them myself (FEAP 2e).
Lessons Learned
I continue to learn and grow with my students. I understand now how a seemingly simple task, such as clapping to capture the student's attention, can go utterly wrong. I also learned that not one single strategy works for every situation. Each classroom management procedure has its time and place. The key to learning which one fits is to practice, just as the students do when they are learning the classroom norms during the first few weeks of school.
Implications
Although I have used attention getters previously, it has always been in a college class, with my classmates, to practice for our elementary school students. It never dawned on me that using attention getters with real children can get really complicated if not done correctly. First of all, children need to be taught how to identify and respond to an attention getter. They will need to practice in order for it to become second nature. Sometimes, however, even well prepared and practiced attention getters do not work all of the time. For example, my CT will call out, "class, class", and the students reply, "yes, yes". The response is purely automatic at this point, so the students have not given the teacher their full attention. To reinforce and correct this, the teacher continues with "hands and eyes", and the students then turn their heads to look at the teacher and place their hands on their desks, as they respond back with the same "hands and eyes" response. Without the second part of the attention getter, students will continue to sit on the floor, shuffle papers, or do anything else while they are replying "yes, yes". With the hands and eyes addition, students are taught to be seated, eyes looking at the teacher, and hands together placed on top of the desk. It is a truly effective procedure that all the students adhere to and respect and something I will certainly use in the future, when I have the opportunity to do so.