How to Give BETTER Classroom Instructions

how to give instructions and improve working memory in class working memory is our brain's Post-It note as it helps us remember and process information simultaneously it helps us keep track of information perform instructions and plays a huge role in our ability to focus and concentrate on tasks kids with certain learning disabilities like ADHD have a much smaller working memory making it more difficult for them to remember and process information they may have difficulty with starting prioritizing and or completing tasks following directions time management self-regulation and self-control focusing on a task and following it through to completion multitasking completing math problems mentally reading and reading retention these children struggle with things that are automatic for other children and appear to be lazy unfocused defiant or Disobedience we as teachers should do activities in class for our students to train their working memories and recall of information in today's video I will share 10 tips on how giving instructions properly will improve your students working memory let me tell you about the website English for tutors if you need lesson plans both digital and principal English for tutors.com is a website with the lessons and resources for you English forward tutors has user-friendly ESL lesson plans based on inspirational topics which are supported by up-to-date videos and on-topic reading content accompanied by real world vocabulary and grammar exercises with explanations these include some well-known types of exercises such as match the words with their meanings or full in the gaps each lesson comprises of a PowerPoint presentation intended for online classes and two PDF files designed for classroom teaching one for the students and one for the teacher if you need lesson plans with resources already included check out English for tutors.com you can join for free to gain access to some of the lesson plans or subscribe to gain access to all Plans by clicking the link in the description below be clear and concise make sure you have your students full attention before giving directions wait for the whole class to focus on you put their pencils down and feed together they have to remove distractions and look at your eyes while you're speaking remember to keep directions short and sweet or chunk them into steps to make it more manageable simplify your instructions and go through processes step by step we as teachers often forget that our students are still young and learning so while an activity or instructions might seem simple for us we have to scaffold and simplify them for our Learners so if possible limit your instructions to just a few and write them on the board in a logical order by keeping your requests as specific as possible possible and limiting the number of things you ask them to do at one time you are setting them up for Success ask students to repeat directions after providing instructions ask a student to repeat it back to you that will ensure that they've heard you correctly it also provides other students a second opportunity to listen to it again if a student can't repeat it back ask someone else to help them if they are also unsure repeat your instructions again because it means that many other students probably also didn't understand remember to constantly check for understanding throughout a lesson this is good to improve retention and allows you to fill in any gaps your students might have activate background knowledge background knowledge is super important for learning the more connections we activate before we begin teaching new content or skills the better your students will be able to understand and recall information from their working memories use concept mapping that's when you may make a graphic representation of text ideas and a relationship like word clouds or mind mapping cool charts what do students know what do they want to know and what have they learned and think pair share activities when we introduce topics we can ask questions to prepare them for the lesson ahead all these strategies awaken previous knowledge establishes mental connections and enhances the process of encoding new information having strong background knowledge can actually improve working memory teach visualization teaching your students to create a mental picture of the things you ask them to do is a great way of improving working memory you may need to take it a step further at first and have your student draw or explain their mental picture to you but the more you practice it with them the better they will be able to visualize the things you ask them to do like if you ask your students to prepare a role play Let Them imagine the setting are they at a restaurant where are they sitting how many chairs who is sitting with them what does the way to look like what do you want to eat what conversation will you have what questions will they ask their partner how many minutes does it have to be by seeing what they need to do in their minds will clarify their objectives break tasks into more manageable chunks take time to write down what needs to be done so your students can visually see what is expected of them then work together to ensure that each step is completed this will require more upfront help on your part but your students will eventually learn how to break large tasks and assignments into bite-sized pieces that are less overwhelming also contextualizing learning make learning relevant and interactive mix up lessons so that your students don't have to listen to your talk for more than 10 minutes at a time they have to use their working memory which has a very limited capacity to follow a lecture so stop and have them do the following turn and talk to a partner do a demonstration incorporate Active Learning or Hands-On learning intermittently summarize or draw a picture that encompasses the main points of the learning use concept mapping or story mapping strategies throughout a lesson Don't lecture for too long break up the lesson into parts and get the students involved teach and supervise organization efforts if your students struggle with organization due to poor working memory take the time to teach them effective organization strategies and regularly supervise these efforts to ensure they are maintained this will keep them accountable and on track throughout the school year and set them up for long-term academic success use retrieval practice if students can't recall the information they haven't learned it students can utilize helpful retrieval practice strategies such as using flashcards writing down a summary of the day's learning and reacting to The Lesson by stating three main points and their importance try using entrance and exit tickets giving frequent quizzes and using programs like kahoot and Quizlet to check understanding don't focus on the individual we all have those babies in class as soon as you give instructions you ask if anyone needs help the same one or two students always raise their hands you go and help them spending most of your time going through the problems they have or you might be walking around class checking in on everyone then find a student not doing anything waiting for you to help them so you sit next to them repeating everything you've already said to the class we do that because we care and we think that some students need extra help which of course is the case but not all students ask for your help because they genuinely need it they don't pay attention on purpose so that they can get your attention by being their crutch you are teaching them to be lazy and not improve their working memory don't do that ask them where they are and what specifically they should do next if you wrote down the instructions they should know where they went wrong and continue from there ma'am I need help what's the matter Jimmy I don't understand no I explained a few times and the instructions are on the board check where they are and what they might be stuck with C go through number six again remember the rule we wrote down before use that it's too difficult help them solve one question then tell them to continue on their own attempt all the questions once you're done and we'll check them as a class in every class there is a student who wants your attention and becomes lazy just to get if you always sit down and help them it causes two issues first you're teaching them to become dependent on you second the rest of the class suffers because you are only focusing on one student they might become Rowdy because you are unable to manage the rest of the class if a student constantly asks for help check where they are quickly help them and set them to work part of training working memory is enabling your students to be accountable and do their best before relying solely on others encourage note taking teaching students to write down homework assignments create to-do lists and take notes while working on school assignments can have a huge impact on improving their working memory this will require lots of prompts and reminders on your part but over time your students will learn to use these strategies to stay organized and on task by themselves we should also encourage Active Learning Talia students to regularly learn about the subjects outside of Class by asking their parents questions related to their curriculum and reading on their own to broaden their knowledge base this will motivate students to actively participate in their studies and help them retain information for a longer period of time as a result students will be able to recall important topics during examinations which in turn will help them develop critical thinking skills while improving memory power praise your students Learners who struggle to focus and pay attention often receive a lot of negative feedback throughout the day many teachers and parents tell these kids about all the things they are doing wrong and while this isn't always done deliberately it can have a big impact on a learner's sense of self-worth offer praise wherever possible especially if it's for their efforts and not their talent make it a point to highlight things your students do right every day fundamentally they want to please their parents and teachers so when you take the time to recognize their efforts even when it doesn't turn out the way they had hoped it will have a positive impact on their self-esteem combine learning with rhymes and songs teachers can help Learners make a rhyme poem or chant from the information they are learning music and patterns enable quicker grasping and retention of information hence with proper implementation songs and Rhymes can help students enhance their memory and recall in the next video I will share 10 techniques for improving memory

Channel: Etacude English Teachers

Views: 9,295

Keywords: teacher, teach english, how to be a teacher, how to teach english, english learning, esl teacher, english teacher, efl teacher, speaking english, classroom games, english games, teaching english abroad, classroom management, classroom management strategies, how to be a good teacher, back to school

Id: znzyql6Sjrc

Length: 11min 40sec (700 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 04 2023