Flair Effect

What makes some teachers more engaging than others?

There are many answers to this age-old question that include quality of lesson, kindness of discipline, along with a number of other important factors. I have found that one of the aspects that ensures that class be enjoyable is adding a simple but creative element to the lesson. As students settle into their familiar seats with the familiar class routines, a teacher can ignite the classroom with little effort. This can be done in a number of free or very inexpensive ways. When students begin to learn that you are unpredictable they want to be there on time and are excited for class. These ideas cannot be a substitute for substantive lesson planning, but rather are used to turn an average dish of meat and potatoes into a spicy delicacy that has students asking for more.

Here are some ideas:

Come into class with a small jar of jelly beans. Each time a student answers a question correctly or has his finger on place he can guess how many jelly beans are in the jar. You write their names and guesses on the board and keep going until the end of the day or week, in the last five minutes of class. The person closest to the correct number gets the jar.

Buy any interesting looking toy at a dollar store and come into class with it. Give out raffle tickets all day and raffle it off at the end of class.

Give each person in the class a number. When you need to ask a question start a stop watch and call on the person with the number where you randomly stop it. The anticipation of being called on keeps everyone engaged.

Bring a box of Mike and Ikes and give out a candy to each person who answers, asks or performs well.

Go to a magic store and buy an inexpensive trick or two. Tell the students that when they get a specific number of class points you will perform the trick. Another day later that year you can require double the original number of points to reveal how you did the trick!

These are just a few basic ideas that will not affect the lesson much but can make the lesson fun and encourage energetic participation. These techniques also create positive emotional connections with the teacher and learning. As long as the game does not become the entire focus of the day, these tools can take just another day and make it one to remember.