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Classroom management: deal with distractions to help kids focus

Date: May 7th, 2015
By: Polly Bath

Polly Bath: Dealing with distractions… This could be an entire class lesson! I present distractions in the classroom to teach kids how to deal with them.

For example, when the Pepsi truck is outside your window delivering. Isn’t it amazing how popular it becomes when you’re trying to teach a concept?

So, I tell the children, “OK, guys. We all see that the Pepsi truck is out there delivering. Have they delivered all year? Yes, they have. But here’s what we’re going to do, everybody turn and look out the window. For one minute we are going to look out and watch everything that Pepsi truck delivery is doing. OK, now pay attention up here.”

That’s how we manage distractions. Take a minute, look at it, come back, and now focus.

Don’t try to fight that.