Do you have any best focus ideas for classroom management? Getting students to focus can be difficult. Teachers need a toolbox of strategies to grab students’ attention. Many teachers resort to raising their voice and getting angry especially when students are engaged in a loud activity, or students are not responding to expectations. This creates a negative classroom culture which impedes learning so be sure to add a bunch of best focus ideas for classroom management to help your classroom run efficiently.

Best Focus Idea for Classroom Management

Using signals is a perfect way to help students monitor and learn about focus.

Can you see the fox?

Teachers hold up their fingers and say, “Focus Fox” then any student that heard or saw the movement copies the teacher and whispers, “Focus Fox” then silently has the fox fingers look around the room to find others that are focused.📌for later

Remember: It’s important to explicitly teach students what your expectations are and how they should respond.

Check out Focus Fox and a few other silent signals I use below.

Other Focus Ideas

1. Clap and Repeat- Simply pick a clapping pattern and the students repeat it. As more students join in the clap pattern spreads across the room until all students have stopped talking and are joining the clap party. Clapping a few patterns until you have every students attention may be needed, so be prepared to have a few patterns ready. Clapping is the perfect, positive way to capture students attention.

2. Peace and Quiet- Say, “Peace and Quiet” Hold up a peace sign and place your pointer finger over your lips. Students then copy the peace and quiet sign. This will continue until all students are showing the peace and quiet signal and looking at you for directions. 

3. Lights Off- As soon as the light go off, students must freeze and look for the teacher. This is a strategy I use to grab the class attention immediately. I wait until everyone is quiet and looking at me before I give instructions. Students learn that lights out means something needs to be said by the teacher or something new is about to happen. I leave the light off as I speak so even the atmosphere is quiet. When the light go on, students continue working. They may also have to implement new instructions.

You can check out Brain Research for Learning for other ideas to help with focus.

What focus strategies do you use? Comment below and share!