Ever caught yourself repeating instructions over and over and over and over again to your class? Thinking that maybe you truly have lost your mind because you could swear that you had said something only to be asked about it not a minute later! Well, you’re not alone; this is something all educators, novices and seasoned veterans, go through.
A large component of being an educator involves teaching students how to listen, be independent, follow directions and self-direct. These are no simple goals and they involve both reinforcement and repetition. Hopefully this article can offer some tips and tricks to help you in your mission to help your students to follow directions, the first time they hear them.
Use Your Teacher Voice & Be Precise
Somewhere between a conversational voice and that of a drill sergeant’s, lies the proverbial “teacher voice.” This voice is neither too quiet or too loud but rather carries with it a tone that means business. As an educator, you want to be able to provide instruction to students in a nurturing way but simultaneously ensuring that the students pay attention while you speak. Although you may have thought that you spoke clearly enough, all educators have experienced their students whispering to one another “what’d (s)he say?” To prevent this, ensure that you maintain that “teacher voice” throughout the entirety of your instruction. Additionally, when giving your students instructions, be precise with them and try not to go off on tangents.
On a side note, effective classroom management doesn’t require absolute silence! A bit of a background buzz in the class is valuable and indicative of student engagement.
Smartphone Features - Hey Siri & Hey Google
Children are constantly listening, they hear a lot but depending on their age, it helps to offer them something to focus on or look for (similarly to the cocktail party effect) in case they get distracted. Our latest smartphones have something similar to this feature, if you’ve ever said “Hey Google” or “Hey Siri” and had your phone respond, that’s this phenomenon mimicked digitally. Give your students an odd or unique word that signifies the importance of what you are about to say. This works especially well for younger students who will listen attentively in excitement for the special word. In order to keep their interest, I suggest changing the word every week and allowing your students to pick the word of the week. This also allows them to grow their vocabulary by learning novel and eccentric words that they may not use in their daily lives.
Repetition is key
This article is about your students following directions the first time they hear them so repetition may be counterintuitive but this tip involves repetition from your pupils. Have your students repeat your directions back to you as a class. For example, if you give them an instruction to open their science textbook to a certain page ask them to confirm the page number as a class by saying it out loud: “Please open your science textbook to page 394.” [Pause for a moment] “What page?” They would respond with “394” and you would thank them and tell them to carry on.
Purposeful Direction
Rather than merely instructing students to complete a task, have them complete one with a purpose or end goal. You may have a plan in your mind when instructing students but if they are not engaged and “buying in” towards the end goal then you’ve lost them. By offering them purposeful direction they are following your instructions and meeting small checkpoints. Think of it like the “gamification of instruction,” additionally, you will be able to troubleshoot and determine where you lost certain students attention as they will have failed to reach an allotted checkpoint.
For example, if you would like your students to open up their history textbook for an activity, have them turn to a certain page and find a specific word. This will keep them attentive and once they find the word, have them place their finger on it. This act will allow you to observe whether the class is ready to move to the next step in your instructional journey.
Write the Important Bits of Information on the Board
Listening to someone talk and provide you with instructions is tough on the best of days as an adult, its even more difficult as a child (please remember that you are teaching children and you cannot expect the same from them as you would an adult)! I have found that it is extremely helpful to write the pertinent information such as a page number or time on the board. This way, if asked a question you can simply point to the board rather than repeat yourself. Additionally, your more introverted students will thank you for this as they can simply check the board rather than asking for the directions again.
Self Regulate
Students go off task from time to time, and your first urge may be to repeat the instructions or reprimand them. Instead, prompt them to self regulate. Ask them what they should be doing or ask prompting questions that require them to think of the choices they are making. From my experience, most students know what the correct response is and will correct their actions once prompted.
Less Talk
We all remember the one professor or teacher that droned on in a class, for the most part we tuned them out. Don’t be that teacher! Instead of filling the bulk of the instructional time with lecturing, allow students to discuss and explore, speaking only when you must. Efficient delivery of information is as important as the information itself. In the book Brilliance by Design, by Vicki Halsey, she writes “the one who is doing the talking is doing the learning.” The learning role is for the student so let them talk and discuss!
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