Magic Circle: Class Yes
The Attention Getter
When you want your students' attention say, "Class!" They respond, "Yes!" For variety, if you say "Class Bazinga!," they respond, "Class Bazinga!" Many other variations are possible. "Yo Class!" "Class Shaka Lacka!" "Yada, yada Class!" etc. Approximately one in five times that you employ the Attention Getter, substitute an entertaining variation.
A second, important feature of the Attention Getter is to teach your students to do these three things:
1. Stop what you're doing
2. Turn and look at the teacher
3. Fold your hands.
Using a positive Attention Getter is a wondrous form of Glorious Kindness. Train your student leaders to be your Class Yes callers - the whole class practices Glorious Kindness when they stop, look, fold their hands, smile, and listen to the person that is talking.
Never scold when kids fail to use a WBT technique properly. Scolding means you haven't practiced enough. Use micro-step practice, training kids on each small step, one at a time.
The wackier your variations of the Attention Getter, the more fun for your kids. As a reward for improvement in behavior, and to develop student leadership, make a few students Call Outers. When you point at them and whisper “Class,” they call out their own wacky version of Class-Yes, to gain their classmates’ attention. When you're ready to amp up your use of the Attention Getter, click on the Upgrade at the bottom of this page.
To understand how to break this strategy down into Microsteps for lower elementary, take a look at our Co-Founder Andrea Schindler's explanation below. Learn how to PowerUp your use of Attention Getters, here.
BELOVED RASCALS: Give the honor of inventing variations of Class Yes to a Beloved Rascal and his rascally teammates! Learn more in "Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids: 2nd Edition", available now on Amazon!