{"id":6637,"date":"2015-07-13T09:42:27","date_gmt":"2015-07-13T07:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/?p=6637"},"modified":"2025-07-21T14:17:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T12:17:02","slug":"29-super-effective-ways-students-attention-raising-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/29-super-effective-ways-students-attention-raising-voice\/","title":{"rendered":"29 Super Effective Ways to get Your Students’ Attention Without Ever Raising Your Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"Read Time: <\/span> 10<\/span> minutes <\/span><\/span>

\"This<\/a>\u201cQuiet Down! This is the last time I’m asking you take your seats! Why won’t you listen!?\u201d<\/p>\n

Teaching is tough! And that’s true even if you have a classroom full of 38 obedient children, who listen to your every word. So what do you do when your students are noisy, loud and disruptive? How do you get your students to follow instructions so that you can give a rockstar lesson?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The process of getting your students attention<\/em> – without getting frustrated and raising your voice – is challenging. And if you feel helpless sometimes, then you’re not alone.<\/strong> In fact, a 2018 study reveals that 40% of teachers don’t even make it through the first 5 years<\/a>, and one of the top reasons cited is “coping with and responding to student behavioral issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, there are proven ways to control the mayhem and get your class to listen. And they are all based on one principle – the same principle marketers use to sell you their products. It’s called Pattern Interrupt and it works, every time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting Your Students’ Attention: The Psychology Behind Pattern Interrupt<\/h4>\n

The basic idea behind pattern Interrupt, coined by hypnotherapist Milton Erikson<\/a>, is exactly what the name implies; You are breaking someone’s pattern or behavior by interrupting them with an unexpected stimulus.<\/p>\n

This \u2018stimulus’ can be anything from a sound to a funny joke to a physical movement.<\/p>\n

Pattern Interrupt is a phenomenon that you experience every day<\/em><\/strong>. Just think about it\u2026 All those commercials and posters and pop-ups you see, these advertisers<\/a> are grabbing your attention by breaking your flow and putting their message (image\/video\/text) in your face. Even juicy headlines have this effect<\/a>!<\/p>\n

But this tactic is not only used in fancy advertisements. Pattern Interrupt works at even the most basic level. Take the classic handshake<\/a>; When you meet someone for the first time and stick out your hand – you have just used a pattern interrupt;<\/em> the person shaking your hand has automatically refocused his attention<\/strong> to your eyes and your hand and YOU.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, how does this work in the classroom?<\/strong> How can Pattern Interrupt be used as a teaching strategy?<\/strong> Imagine a teacher standing in a room full of chatting students. The teacher can’t get their attention, so s\/he suddenly breaks out in a dance, singing Peanut Butter Jelly Time<\/a>.<\/p>\n