I will ensure that, even when lecturing, students are involved in the lesson. This can include such strategies as asking students to summarize what you have just said, asking them to relate the current material to previous lessons, and relating the material to real life situations and/or popular ideas that may interest the students. The last thing a teacher wants in this situation is to present material that the students see as abstract and utterly useless to their future and the real world.

I would avoid using methods that may be perceived negatively such as redirecting students who are off-task and focus more on proactive strategies to keep students engaged. Two techniques that I use in conjunction with each other are cold calling and no opt-out. Although they seem simple, they are both explained in detail in Doug Lemov's book, Teach Like a Champion. Cold calling keeps students engaged because they don't necessarily have to have their hands raised to be called on and I don't call on a student until after I have asked the question so that all students feel accountable for possibly having to answer. Initially, this can be intimidating to students but when paired with a positive classroom environment, students will feel comfortable offering their input or providing an answer, even if they are unsure. It is also easy to scaffold oral questions based on the ability level of the student I am trying to engage. When a student is stumped, I use the no opt-out method, meaning that even if the student doesn't know the answer, they need to pay attention to what someone else says because I will be coming back to them for a summary or an elaboration based on their classmates answers to the same question.

The key to keeping students actively involved in a lesson is maintaining a tight instructional framework. A basic framework includes an opening, mini-lesson, activity, and closing. In my experience, students waiver from instruction in transition. One way to manage time in transition is by using a visual stop watch. I display one on my projector and give students approximately 30 seconds between transition.