How to Make Your Students Listen to You
Students in the age bracket of six to twelve years tend to have a very short attention span which can make it hard for you to hold their interest. Here are a few effective tips that will assist early childhood education teachers understand the psyche of young children and help them follow instructions.
Connect Before You Speak: When you speak, make sure that you speak only after you have the complete attention of the student. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get the message across, particularly when the child is busy playing. Do not yell at them from a distance. Instead, connect with your student first - if they are playing, play with them for a little while and softlystate your message.The truth is, the more connected the student feels to the teacher, the more he or she is likely to be influenced.
Use Lesser Words and Simpler Sentences: When giving instructions to your students, use simple sentences with few words. Be direct and to the point so that the student understands you completely. When you are not clear and use a lot of words, you are likely to lose their attention and interest.
Try to Relate to Them by Understanding Their Situation: Consider this situation- if someone tries to stop you from doing something you love to do and instead asks you to do something that you have no interest in, you will certainly not prioritize it, will you?When you see the situation from the point of view of your young student you will be able to handle the situation more patiently. If they are watching something that interests them, make sure you let them finish that first. Once they are done, they are more likely to listen to you.
Be Polite: By raising your voice at all times or yelling orders, you are more likely to get ignored by the student. No one likes to be ordered around and scolded. In fact, this rouses resistance. So,make sure you keep your tone friendly and soft. This will ensure that you get positive results.
Stop Repetitions: If you have told something twice and your class is not responding,it means that you do not have their attention. Avoid repeating yourself too many times– you will only feel angry and frustrated; try applying one of the above-mentioned tips instead.
By following these tips, you will certainly be able to make your students listen to you better. Being an early childhood education teacher is a lot of work and getting your students to follow your instructions can be a huge task. If you feel you need to brush up on your skills or need to learn new ways to deal with young children, then you can take up online programs that teach newer and more effective ways of handling classes. There are numerous good providers out there who offer accredited
ECE programs for those who aspire to be early childhood education teachers and also for those who wish to advance their existing careers.
