Case
Get my attention

I encountered a student during my time in the classroom who is constantly trying to get my attention and the attention of the teacher. I know that he could be a very good student but he does not use his time wisely and is sometimes disruptive when the other students are working. I think that he needs constant attention and, unfortunately, finds a negative way to do it most times. He also feels that he needs to be the class comedian. I tried not addressing his antics in the hopes that he would stop but it has continued for the entire three weeks. Most times when he is acting up a lot, the teacher is outside of the classroom but he will still be mildly disruptive even when she and I are both there. After asking him to quiet or settle down once or twice in a class he is usually pretty good. It would be my goal for him to be able to come into class and get to work without the usual 5 or 10 minutes of his antsy stand up comedy routine. Is there a good way to achieve this goal?

Posted on: 10/03/14 | Views: 1619
Solution #1
Students that want attention are all to prevalent in our classrooms today. I have used a couple of strategies that have helped with these students. One, I start complimenting by name and giving the attention to the ones that are on task and doing what I want them to do. It seems simple, but when others are getting the attention it really starts to make the ones wanting the attention to get on task so I will say their name out loud. Another way is to give out tickets to the ones that are on task and then do a drawing once a week for a prize or candy. Students normally get right on task for the chance at going to the "treasure box".

I like this solution a lot. I feel as if it would be affective and I plan to use it in my classroom.

I agree with your solution. Students do respond better when addressed by their name. It makes it personal for them and that is all they want is to know that you notice them.

In my own class, I have utilized the personal praise concept that you are suggesting and it has worked well. The students delight in hearing their name during positive reinforcement. This won't completely fix the situation though, so implementing a reward system is a good idea as well.

It is always a good idea to emphasize personal space.

18 0
Solution #2
I had 2 students in my class last year that were like this. It didn't matter if they were receiving good or bad attention, just as long as they were getting attention. I finally got to the point that I was so frustrated I had to come up with something. I made a personal behavior incentive for both of them to kept at their desk. It was a type of contract between the students and myself. They even had to sign it. We would conference at the beginning of the week and go over the rules about what we are supposed to do in class and then we would talk about our contract. We came to a mutual agreement about what would happen if they met my expectations during the week. They knew that if they kept up their end of the deal, that I would keep up mine. If I had to get on to them, they got a strike on their personal behavior chart. This helped so much because they felt like they were in charge of this contract and in charge of what happened.

I think this could be a very effective solution, I like how it empowers the student and makes them feel like they are in charge of their behavior and would hopefully inspire them to do their best while in class. It also focuses on positive reinforcement and the student knowing they can count on the teacher to follow through.

7 0
Solution #3
Attention seekers in my class gets my attention in an unintentional way. I would give that student a buddy in the classroom and ask their buddy to make sure that student is on task. I would also make frequent visits near that students' desk to keep down the disruptive behavior. I would also notify parent or guardian about the students behavior to decrease the frequent behavior. I would have a conference with the student and parent (if needed). Ignoring this type of behavior does not work and it makes the situation worst. It is important to act on it in a timely manner to decrease this behavior.

If I were in this situation, I would do this and I plan to use this solution in my classroom.

7 1
Solution #4
I would recommend giving rewards to this student once he or she comes in and immediately gets started on their work. This would allow the student to get that praise and attention in a positive manner. Pull them aside and discuss the rules for getting the praise or reward. Make it very personal to that student- something he or she would like the most.
0 0
Solution #5
I think it goes without saying that this student is acting out because he has a need that is not being met. One of my professors and I were talking about this very type of situation, just the other day, and here is what has worked for him: Tell the student that you are in need of someone to pass out papers, run errands, etc. Let them know the responsibility this position brings, and ask him if it is something that he thinks he can handle, and would like to do. Furthermore, this position requires a special seat, right next to the teacher. Now the teacher has the student feeling like he is in control of something, he is helping, he is on task, and he is near the teacher during class.
0 1
Solution #6
A possible solution could be to give him a journal so he could write down his thoughts. If he does this every morning without interrupting the class maybe he can share he stories or jokes with class on Friday for fun.
0 3
Solution #7
Attention seeking is very coming in classrooms. I've had students like this in my class who seek attention and are off task. A strategy that you can use is a behavior plan/chart. On the behavior plan/chart, you can put the areas of concern and the subjects of the day. For example, during reading I would put: stayed on task, did not disrupt others, stayed quiet (this will go along with the remaining subjects as well). At the end of reading, I will check the student off. At the end of the day, the behavior chart should be full of points or exes.There will be a total of 25 points. I will allow the student to pick the number of points he or she will need to receive before the end of the day. For example the student chose 18 points out of 25. If he or she reaches 18, I will give a treat at the end of the day. This really works for my students that attention seek. Hopefully this works for you.

I would not do this system in my class because it is confusing and tells the students that you can be rewarded even if you do not do what you are told.

I do not agree with this solution because I feel like it does not solve the problem at hand.

0 12