Attention Signals for the Classroom

Call and Response Ideas to get your students ready to learn

Ah, the attention signal. It is a teacher’s go to classroom management tool to garner the classroom’s attention or the bane of said teacher’s existence. Here at The Teaching Distillery we are big fans of attention signals, also known as the Call and Response technique. While our attention signals vary, the method and strategies we employ are the same. 

An attention signal is when a teacher says or does something that then garners a response or action from the students. It is a very basic and simple form of classroom management. When done correctly, it can be very effective. Classroom management is key when developing an effective environment for learning, and one of the easiest and most effective ways to manage a class is to create very clear expectations from the get go. From day one, we are teaching classroom procedures and explicitly modeling  how each procedure or expectation will look for the up and coming school year. How do we line up at the door? I model it, and we practice it! How do you come into the classroom ready to learn? I model it, and we practice it! How do we transition from one activity to another? I model it, let’s practice it! You get the idea…and so do the students. That’s the point. You would think that by 7th grade, students would not need explicit instruction and modeling of your classroom expectations and procedures, but dear teacher friends, they do, and that doesn’t change with age. If you teach seniors in high school, or itty bitty first graders, a student’s age does not matter, they absolutely need you to be very clear and explicit with what you expect to see and how you expect them to act in your class. 

This is where the attention signal comes in. Students want a say in how things are run in your class. They want to feel like a part of the classroom community. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is to give them some agency over the attention signals that you will use in the classroom. We always start the year off with a few of our tried and true favorites. From there, students begin coming up with their own attention signals that we then try out. If the class likes it, and they are comfortable with the new signal, it gets added to the rotation of signals that we will use throughout the day. If the students don’t like it, we drop it and try another. There are a ton of sites devoted to attention signals and what they may look like and sound like. A great first step is looking over the Teacher Tool Kit’s post about attention signals. It will provide a really quick and effective run down on how an attention signal works and what they look and sound like. We have teacher friends that have also had a lot of success with a wireless doorbell in their class. Yes, you heard that right…a doorbell! They say it works like a charm! If using attention signals sounds like the right choice for you and your classroom, we have a great resource for you in our Teacher Pay Teacher store. The presentation even has some killer sound effects that you can utilize in your classroom!

If you’re interested in trying out some attention signals, here is a list of our favorites! 

Teacher: Stop!

Students: Hammer Time! 

             Or

Students: Collaborate and Listen!

Teacher:  Testing, Testing,

Students: One, Two, One, Two

Teacher: Yakkety Yak!

Students: Don’t Talk Back!

Teacher: No Bees, No Honey

Students: No Work, No Money!

Teacher: Can I get a…

Students: Whoop Whoop!

So teacher friends, have you tried out attention signals in your classrooms? Which ones work best for you? We’d love to hear from you! Comment or tell us your thoughts on Instagram or Twitter. Until next time.

Bottoms Up!