The first strategy is exercise.
Before beginning your lesson, ask your students to stand and join you for two-minutes of light exercise. You can do jumping jacks, knee bends, twists, stretches, or your favorite yoga poses. Anything that spikes the heart rate will do.
Studies show that exercise can boost brain function, improve mood, and increase learning. I’ve found that it clears mental clutter and provides the energy boost students need to be at their best.
Once they sit back down, your students will be refreshed, rebooted, and ready for learning. Use exercise breaks throughout the day and you’ll notice a difference in your students’ attentiveness and performance.
The second strategy is curiosity
This strategy uses curiosity, which all students have in abundance, to entice them to follow along. And it’s as easy as it gets. Easy, though, doesn’t mean less effective. You can use this strategy several times a day, and it will never lose its attention-attracting luster.
The curiosity strategy starts with a promise. The teacher asks students to pay close attention, to mentally engage throughout the early stages of the lesson because, if they do, there will be a payoff at the end.