Engaging children to learning can be challenging. What with the short attention span and boredom to listening, children seem to be expecting for more action while they are learning. Here are some few tips on how you can go about your lessons in a more interactive way:
- Teach your students how to follow instructions by giving them a recipe which fits their capabilities and have them follow it on their own. They should start by creating a list for the grocery, buy then pay for it and understand the change they get through a little math lesson (you can even throw in tax information) and then create and enjoy their masterpiece in the end.
- Include your students’ hobbies in their learning. If they enjoy building model cars, pick up reference books for them to read and include building a car as a project. Teach them about how an engine works, how cars affect the environment and even use the speed and distance a car goes in math lessons.
- Use more than just textbooks for teaching. Your student can learn using a variety of teaching mediums. Keeping current events in the classroom is great for the learning experience. It also instills analytical thinking skills, which is an important life skill.
- nFigure out what motivates your students. The same thing will not motivate all children, so find a motivational tool for each child and use it. Keep your rewards age appropriate and reward them for accomplishing each of their school goals for the year. They will work hard for the things that make them happy.
Hopefully the tips presented here have given you some ideas about interactive instruction and the kind of commitment it really means. Teaching is not easy but it can be very rewarding. If you do take the plunge, give it all your energy and ideas. Millions of students are successfully instructed every year just because the teacher went an extra mile. You can be one of those success stories.
By: Lani G. Licup | Teacher III | Sta. Rosa Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
