Student Contributor: S. Hough
When the whole class is not listening, being disruptive, or being too loud you simply say, “heads down!” and everyone puts their heads down on their desks. Then you can give instructions, or ask for better attention from students
This tool is really pretty simple. My mentor teacher uses this to get students attention when she has tried a couple different ways, or has had to continually remind students to focus/stay on track. After saying, “heads down” she speaks in a quiet voice to make sure everyone continues to listen to the instructions that are being given. There are even times that students will put their heads down on their own when others are being loud/not listening/being distracting, to signal that they are listening and ready to learn. My mentor teacher only has them keep their heads down for a short time as a way to reset and try again.
I placed this tool in the corrective phase because it is used to correct undesirable behaviors happening as a large group. It leans towards the teacher directed side of the spectrum, because it is the teacher who takes action to stop a behavior from happening; the goal is to maintain order in the classroom, so learning can continue for everyone. I feel that this could relate to the supportive phase, as you are giving students a few moments to reflect on what behavior they and/or others were displaying that were not in line with the classroom rules/what they were asked to do at the time.
More Information –
Tool Source: JB Elementary
