Duration: 13:37
About the teachers
Danny Buller began teaching 2 and a half years ago, transitioning from a career as a personal assistant. She has taught students in the early years (Kindy, Year 1 and Year 3) in a metropolitan context.
Emma Cheers has been teaching for 6 years. She has experience in both rural and metropolitan contexts, teaching primary school students in Years 2 to 5.
Henri King is completing his Master of Teaching through a teacher training program. Henri was previously a youth worker.
Transcript
[On-screen text] Viewer advice: First Nations people should be aware that it is possible that some individuals depicted in this video may have since passed away.
Danny Buller, classroom teacher, Briar Road Public School: When students are able to gain my attention in a respectful way, it supports me to maintain the classroom environment and also to respond to their needs.
Emma Cheers, classroom teacher, Renmark Primary School: Students gaining teacher attention supports me because it helps me know who might require some extra assistance with the task. It also can help with de-escalating situations. Students can signal for my attention. I can go over to them and support them before the issue becomes bigger and potentially disruptive.
Henri King, classroom teacher, Xavier Catholic College: I get the opportunity to address their needs. I get the opportunity to make them feel like they're being valued in the class and that I care about whatever it is that is happening to them. And that means that they feel like the classroom is a positive, supportive place.
Emma Cheers: I monitor students by pausing, scanning and circulating.
Danny Buller: When a student wants my attention, they use an agreed upon signal that we've practised before.
Henri King: Once I see a student, I first of all acknowledge them. I may not be able to assist them straight away, so I name that, I say that I've seen them and that I'll do my best to be with them within a certain timeframe.
Danny Buller: Once I'm able to, I respond to the student by walking to where they are and asking what they need support with.
Emma Cheers: I established the signal by explicitly teaching it to my students. So, I showed them that a hand up is what you need to do to gain my attention when we are working independently. I then got my students to practise that, and then I showed how I will respond and what responses they might expect from me. That could include that I might not get there straight away, but I will be on my way. I keep my signal the same throughout the year. However, if I notice that some students are forgetting to use the signal, I will reteach the signal to the whole class and we will revisit that learning.
When I say ‘Go’, roll your dice, draw your head in pencil. If you need my help or you have a question, what should we be doing? Caylin?
Caylin: Putting your hand up.
Emma Cheers: Putting your hand up and I will move to you as soon as I can. Does that make sense?
Class: Yes.
Emma Cheers: Right. When I say ‘Go’, what are we going to do? Keely, thank you for putting your hand up. Roll the dice. Georgia, I'll just be with you in a second.
Student: It's a little bit.
Emma Cheers: All right. You might need to rub out a little bit harder because you can still see those lines underneath. Or next time do it a bit lighter, okay? Georgia, how can I help you?
Right, so you’ve got a few options there. Your hand up for me? Do you need my help? Yeah, I'll be there. Just a second. You could, oh yeah, you could change them if you want. Absolutely. Well done. Thank you for waiting, Amelia. What did you get?
Amelia: I got …
Emma Cheers: No, just one.
Amelia: That one.
Emma Cheers: This one?
When I am monitoring students who are completing learning tasks, I am considering my placement in the room. I make sure to pause, scan and circulate so that my presence is felt in all areas of the classroom. When a student uses the signal to gain my attention, I first of all pause, scan the rest of the class to make sure that they are on task, and then I acknowledge the student. So, this might be moving directly to them if time allows or acknowledging them and telling them that I'll be with them in a minute.
Georgia, I'll just be with you in a second.
Student: It’s a little bit.
Emma Cheers: All right.
When responding to a student who has signalled for my help, I first of all acknowledge them. I then move over and position myself so that I can assist them but also monitor the rest of the classroom.
All right, so you’ve got a few options there. Your hand up for me? Do you need my help? Yeah, I'll be there just a second. You could, oh yeah, you could change them if you want. Absolutely. Well done. Thank you for waiting, Amelia. What did you get?
Amelia: I got …
Emma Cheers: No, just one.
Amelia: That one.
Emma Cheers: This one?
By having a hand signal in place to gain my attention, students know that they can trust that I will be with them to support them as soon as I can. They also know that they are all able to access my support and help in a timely manner. It also has helped with developing their patients as they are able to see when other people might need support and wait patiently for me to help them.
Henri King: It's so important that I'm responsive to my students when they're gaining my attention because, for them, if I'm not responding to them trying to gain my attention, it could be perceived as me just ignoring them. Which will automatically make them feel like I'm being rude or I don't care about them or they're not valued in the classroom. So being responsive is critical, and I have had students demonstrate behaviours as a result of them feeling ignored or not seen. So being able to address that straight away is really, really important for helping them feel supported and helping them with whatever it is they need. I established the signals for students needing to gain my attention basically through a process of trial and error. Students were more inclined to call out in my class, but not just in my class, in all their classes, and I realised that that was going to be a behaviour that was normal and natural to them and that as long as I can manage that within my classrooms, I was okay with that.
I need some help. So, what can you do to help me at the start of class like you're doing right now?
Jake: Listening.
Henri King: Excellent. Thanks, Jake. Listen at the start when I explain the next tasks. Makes it much easier. How can you help yourself?
Shanae: Try to start on your own.
Henri King: Thanks, Shanae. Yeah. The first thing you can do is try to start the next task on your own. If you need to ask someone, who can you ask for help? Gypsy or Jerricka. Or?
Student: Henri.
Henri King: Or who else? Who's finished?
Student: Friend.
Henri King: Yeah, a friend who's finished. They can help you move on to the next task. If you need, you can move away from distractions. You can move to this back room here if you need some quiet space and—
Shanae: Line up at Henri's desk.
Henri King: Thanks, Shanae. Line up at my desk. My desk is up here at the front. I'll be sitting right here. I've got all the sheets that you need, so if you need help, come and line up at the front. Jerimina?
Jerimina: I didn't look at the second …
Henri King: Yeah, that's what we're working on in the art room.
Jerimina: The size of it is … was nice.
Martina: Henri?
Henri King: Martina? Oh, your folio.
Martina: I have it here.
Henri King: Oh, you got it here? You need that. Yeah. Come up the front. I'll help you out.
Martina: I have the ...
Henri King: Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah ...
Shanae: Henri?
Henri King: Shanae. The flood stroke.
Shanae: Yeah.
Henri King: That's when we're using the squidgy, like this ...
My considerations for monitoring students when they're all completing a learning task is that I want to make sure that I'm always aware of the room, so I try and position my body in a way that means I can respond to students if they do gain my attention by calling out. And even if I'm working one-on-one with a student, I have my eyes up semi-regularly, scanning the room and listening out for any students if they need my help. Whenever a student uses that signal to gain my attention, I respond to it immediately. Even if it means I have to pause what I'm doing one-on-one with the student, I have to acknowledge that student straight away to make sure that they feel seen. Then I can give it a timeframe for when I can get to them and then I go back to what I was doing initially. Otherwise, if it can be addressed verbally in that moment, such as they're going to the bathroom, I can acknowledge that, remind them of the expectation that they come straight back, and that's it. Students gaining my attention has had a good impact on my relationship with them because it means that rather than me potentially appearing rude or seeming like I don't really care, they know that I actually do care about them and that although I'm busy, I will be there with them to help them. That helps them feel supported and it makes the whole thing work a lot more smoothly.
Danny Buller: I established the signals for students gaining my attention early on in the year by modelling exactly what I wanted them to do, and then by practising it. These signals don't change throughout the school year unless a new signal is needed as it stops students from being confused about how they can get my attention. One that might come up is when we move to using coloured pencils in the classroom, we then begin needing to sharpen our pencils, so we introduced a signal for asking to sharpen pencils.
I see your hand, Bentley. Do you need help or is that for a sharpener?
When students are able to gain my attention in a safe and respectful way, it helps maintain a safe classroom environment and it also ensures that I'm able to help them in a prompt way.
If you need to go to the toilet while we're doing our work, what do you need to show me? Show me with your hands. What do we show? Good job. Hands down. Oh. Oh, okay, good. Yes, Alina, you may go to the toilet. If you need some help, do we call out?
Class: No.
Danny Buller: What do we need to do?
Class: Put your hand up.
Danny Buller: Well done. Show me how we put our hands up to ask for help. Well done. Good job. Hands down. If you need to sharpen your pencil, do you just go sharpen your pencil?
Class: No.
Danny Buller: Do you call out ‘Miss Buller, can I sharpen my pencil?’
Class: No.
Danny Buller: Anaya, can you show me, how do we ask to sharpen our pencil? That's right, you hold your pencil up in the air and Miss Buller will say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. If you are waiting for a little bit, maybe because Miss Buller is busy helping somebody, do you start calling out?
Class: No.
Danny Buller: No. Wait patiently with your hands up. Okay. Not right now. Yes. Destiny, I see your hand. I'm going to come help you. Taoha, you’re next. No, that doesn't need to be sharpened. Yes. How can I help? Let's read it, ready? [Sounding out] Sit.
Destiny: [Sounding out] Sit.
Danny Buller: Let's do it again, ready? Say it with me. [Sounding out] Sit. Sit.
Destiny: [Sounding out] Sit. Sit. [Repeats word] Sit.
Danny Buller: [Repeats word] Sit. Which picture has someone sitting? Good job. All right. Taoha. Shh.
Taoha: I dunno if that's ...
Danny Buller: Let's read it. Ready? Bentley, sitting down. Ready? [Sounding out] Fat.
Taoha: [Sounding out] Fat.
Danny Buller: I can see your hand, Skylar. I'll come help you in a moment.
Taoha: Fat.
Danny Buller: Yeah, fat. Which one's a fat cat?
Student: That?
Danny Buller: When students are all completing their task, I'm monitoring the students to make sure that they're on task and are meeting behaviour expectations, but also to see if they need to gain my attention. Not right now. Yes. Destiny, I see your hand. I'm going to come help you. Taoha, you’re next.
When I see a student using my agreed signal, I first consider, is that something that I can support them with from where I am? If not, I would acknowledge them and say I'll be over to help them shortly.
I can see your hand, Skylar. I'll come help you in a moment.
When students are able to gain my attention in a prompt way, it helps to build a relationship that's built around trust and they know that I'm there to be able to help them.
[On-screen text] Students gaining teacher attention: Recap of steps
Steps for students gaining teacher attention:
- Monitor all students.
- Have students use an agreed signal to gain your attention.
- Acknowledge students.
- Respond to students.
Acknowledgements
- Briar Road Public School, New South Wales
- Renmark Primary School, South Australia
- Woodcrest State College, Queensland
- Xavier Catholic College, Northern Territory
Keywords: student engagement, disruption, disruptive behaviour