Center of attention
Every class has that one student who wants to be the center of attention. Put them in charge of something so they feel important, hand out papers, etc.
This type of student can be very challenging because it takes a lot of effort for the teacher to not let this student take away from the other students in the class. I liked the suggestion of making this student the observer and also the idea of handing out cards in order to make this student participate in a constructive manner.
I love the idea of handing out "use it wisely cards". I would add one more rule to these cards: You get one point for each card you use and get a point taken away if you blurt after your cards have been used up. The first rule will encourage quieter students to contribute and the second rule will tone down the "center of attention" student. The points can be a participation grade weighted at perhaps 10% in the total grade for the course.
I have been struggling with this type of student. These are great suggestions as what to do. I will use them today.
Loved the suggestion of handing out "Use-it-wisely" cards. Wish I had done this unit last semester. I had two students who constantly vied for the spotlight and would try to outdo each other.
Hi Danny,
Keep this student busy and make he/she feel important.
Patricia Scales
I also like the idea of something called the "sum it up" student. This student at the end is called on to "sum it up" when you are finished with the activity or lecture. This way they understand that they will have the time but will need to remain focused and quite until that time.
I've been struggling with this type of student but in a slightly unexpected way. Instead of the student wanting the attention for knowing the answer, I have a student who continually makes pessimistic comments about himself and his ability to accurately complete assignments. I look at him as an average "C" student but he's constantly wanting to tell me how difficult the class is for him or how he can't wait until it's over. To be honest, there are days I just get tired of hearing his pessimistic chatter...although I never say that to him!
