Student Contributor: K. Walls
SLANT is a tool for getting student attention. In a call-and-response style, the teacher raises their hand and shouts, “slant!”. The students all respond, “slant!”, and then give the teacher full attention and a zero voice level.
SLANT is effective for situations where you need to address the whole class, and it is important that the students are engaged and listening closely. It is especially useful in a louder situation where students are carrying a lot of conversations or working with manipulatives that make noise. This tool is designed to transfer attention from the student’s work in a busy learning environment to the speaker in the room. It is not just a random word for students to repeat back, each letter represents a step in focusing attention. The acronym stands for sit up, look and listen, ask and answer questions, nod if it makes sense, and track the speaker. Each of these steps must be taught and reviewed regularly, establishing expectations for how to respond to the call “slant!” (more than just responding with “slant!” and not talking). I have seen this used in the classroom next to my mentor teacher’s, and I was very impressed with how effective it was. The teacher used it when students were doing partner work on the floor with a lot of “moving pieces”. The students said it back, and they all sat up, found somewhere they could see the teacher, and were instantly ready to listen. When another student was talking, they turned to “track” the speaker and were clearly focused on that student.
I placed this tool in the supportive phase, largely because it is used while learning is in progress. However, successful use of this tool comes from the preventative phase. Students must learn, practice, and review this strategy so that it is not simply a mindless response to a cue from the teacher. There is value to the students in SLANT, and it should be taught with that in mind. The tool might show up in the corrective phase as well. If the teacher is correcting anti-social behavior and needs to get the whole class's attention in that process, they might refer to this strategy.
Although the teacher initiates SLANT, it teaches students specific steps and behaviors to be a good and engaged listener for any speaker, teacher and peers included. This shifts the tool towards the left of the Theory of Influence continuum, which is why I believe it fits best in the Collaborative Theory of Influence, but it could also fit into the Teacher Directed Theory.
More Information –
Tool Source: A third grade teacher at my placement school
