Responses to Attention-Seeking Behavior.

Navigation

Previous Lesson | Next Lesson | Course Home Page

Learning Goal

I can identify strategies to implement when responding to attention-seeking behavior.

Explore

Recap: Attention-seeking behavior has a lot to do with motor or attentional difficulties. It is important to remember that sometimes this can result from a neurological disorder. This course is designed for students without additional needs from an IEP or 504. Please refer to those documents before attempting to implement strategies from this course. In most cases, a student with attention-seeking behavior may have symptoms that are exacerbated by their family or social environment.

This behavior looks like:

difficulty with motor control physically and verbally
fidgety
leaves seat consistently
interrupts
excessively talks
difficulty focusing
difficulty completing tasks
difficulty listening, remembering, and organizing

Explain

Attention-seeking behavior can become disruptive very quickly, especially if it is happening everyday. When responding to students who display this behavior, it is important to remember they aren´t these aren´t the same as defiant. In most cases, educators lump students with these characteristics with students who intentionally do not follow any form of rules or structure. This can stem from the same emotional state we are in when redirecting this behavior. It is often frustrating to constantly say the same thing to a child and see no change in their development. That is okay because this course is built around developing different responses to manage student behavior.

When responding to a student with attention-seeking tendencies:

Teach them basic concentration skills.
- The goal is for them to independently remind themselves of their expectations and continue to strive towards that goal. They will also use these skills to study or think through situations before acting.
Provide alternative seating when it is time to work independently or quietly.
- This will help limit the distractions.
Support them in creating a list of steps to complete a task.
- Having a list can help students have something to reference when they start to lose concentration. For students who can read, this will look like visual cues. For ones who can, this will look like visual cues and words.
Reward successes.
- It is highly effective to acknowledge when a student is doing good and making the right choices. Something as small as praise is very meaningful to them.
Provide breaks
- Be realistic in the time frame you set for your students during a lesson. Most children can focus on a task for just under 30 minutes. A student with attention-seeking behavior con

Apply

Check out this video from Polly Bath on responding to attention-seeking behavior.

Using the responses listed above, which one do you think she is suggesting to implement?
Which responses would apply to different scenarios?

Your task: Answer these questions on our google form.

Navigation

Previous Lesson | Next Lesson | Course Home Page

References

Epstein, M. H. (2008). Reducing behavior problems in the elementary school classroom. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education.
EAB. (2023). (issue brief). Building A Better Behavior Management Strategy for Students and Teachers. Retrieved 2023
McKinney, A. (2023, July 7). Educator mindsets affect student performance. Teach. Learn. Grow. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2023/educator-mindsets-affect-student-performance/
Vanberbilt University. (2024). How can teachers increase the chances that their students will behave appropriately?. IRIS Center. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/beh1/cresource/q2/p06/
Manzano, R. J., & Manzano, J. S. (2003, September). (PDF) the key to classroom management. Educational Leadership. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283749466_The_Key_to_Classroom_Management
Bath, P. (2019, May 4). How I respond to escalating behaviors. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3tAhFWaLE
YouTube. (2012, February 28). Second grade students misbehaving in reading group. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4KLmUdczc8&t=5s
Bath, P. (2014, March 12). Classroom management: How I respond to an attention seeker. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBPgxITgJss