How to Break the Attention-Seeking Habit

HOW TO:

BREAK THE ATTENTION-SEEKING HABIT

Can you teach while Johnny is running around the room and giggling at every prompt you deliver?


Can you teach while students complain that this one child keeps getting up from his seat and looking for your undivided attention?


Can you teach while Jane screams at the top of her lungs because she doesn’t have her safety blanket?


SOME BEHAVIORS ARE SIMPLY MEANT TO SEEK ADULT ATTENTION AND APPROVAL

Teacher behaviors that can break the attention-seeking cycle:

- pat on the back
- thumbs up
- short positive phrases
- anything small that draws attention to a positive behavior will help tremendously in the long run

OF COURSE, it does help when you consistently use behavior management strategies for the whole classroom because:


They all need to know how to line up
They all need to know how to sit down and get ready to work in a group
They all need to know how not to talk over each other during group discussions


DON’T THEY?

Additional Suggestions


If you have any kind of morning circle/beginning of the day activity:


Consider going over the rules of good behavior in the classroom: this would have to be personalized based on what you use already

- If it is Zones of Regulation, for example, go over the zones, the colors, what they represent, and what behaviors can move you from
one Zone to another - every single day, to exhaustion.
- If you are not using anything, consider asking your administrator for some resources (I can definitely be a resource myself!).

Getting Ready to Work in a Group

Remind all the students in the group of what it looks like to get ready for work:

"We sit at this table" as opposed to "Come to the table!"
"We sit down quietly" as opposed to "Come sit down and be quiet!"

*This is because children are more likely to model than obey, especially when there is no external motivation other than the teacher asking


Model and practice the step above until you get them to sit down quickly (however you define “quickly”, totally up to you!)

If this may seem like it adds time to what you have devoted for the group work, please remember more time IS wasted when chasing children around the room and delivering loud commands that they ignore as they giggle (because IT IS funny to see your teacher trying to catch you in the classroom, and that’s the bottom line).


For struggling students


Have THEM show you specifically what it looks like to be ready for work:

Literally ask them, “What's the first thing we do?”
They should be able to say, "Sit" at least, right?
Then you ask them, "Show me" and REWARD them profusely when they sit down for you.
Ask THEM to show you all the steps in sequence, and keep modeling and practicing those that are problematic.


Other General Considerations


For really difficult students (those students everything has been tried with and nothing works - we all know who those students are!), consider delivering praise for very tiny basic things they do well:

* sitting and/or standing with feet and hands contained - as opposed to sitting/standing with arms flailing and legs kicking
* wiping their face with a tissue - as opposed to with their sleeve
* putting a notebook on the table - as opposed to slamming it down -
* lining up without words - as opposed to lining up while screaming loudly
* drawing on the paper - as opposed to drawing on the desk
* asking an appropriate question - as opposed to asking an off-topic question
* picking up a piece of trash - as opposed to stepping right over it


For example, when they walk in the room quietly, you can say, "That was such a great way to come in! So quiet and considerate!" or whatever you may think appropriate at the time. It works, I promise. It’s like meds: over time, there IS a cumulative effect and behavior does begin to change. If we get that, there’s no limit to the changes in behavior that we can affect overall.


ANYTHING small they do that is appropriate, point it out. This will also be beneficial for other students, because we all like to receive praise and when others get it consistently and we see it, we are more likely to work harder so that we can get it as well. This is human nature combined with societal conditioning, for lack of better terms. Start using some M&M’s in the classroom during group work, and reward the kids who are doing everything relatively right. Ignore the one who does not and see how long it takes them to start trying to join in.


If you have access to a Sensory or Motor Lab or room (one room with sensory toys and activities designed for students to get energy out either at regular times throughout the day, or depending on individual needs):

Consider scheduling exercise breaks BEFORE learning/teaching times (5 minutes of jumping jacks would be beneficial for all students)

If no access:

Consider doing brief movement breaks in the classroom


Students should definitely be reminded EVERY DAY of the behavioral management system used in the classroom. Behavioral expectations should be reviewed daily with ALL students, maybe during the morning circle or during the first group activity of the day (Calendar, Days of the Week, etc.).


Repetition, repetition, repetition - Please remember memory capacity is limited (3 to 4 bits of info for the average adult, so less than that for the average child, and even less for the atypical child) and that memory itself is like a muscle: we have to practice remembering things every day to remember them long-term. It is okay to become a broken record when it comes to behavior guidelines in the classroom. Hearing the same words over and over again will help the kiddos encode those expectations without really realizing they are doing it.


If you have established consequences for not following the rules, you WILL have to use them. Students do have to know what they are losing, though, so it is important to remind them that often as well.


As a final note, consistency is paramount. That means your paras have to do the same things you do (praise and reinforce consequences).