Lazy, non-interested students are every teacher’s nightmare. Looking at the droopy eyes of your students while you are pouring everything you have into that lecture is devastating. Fear not! With the right attention getters, techniques, and tips you will not only grab their attention but get them hooked on geometry.
You don’t have to be like Robin Williams from the dead poet’s society to create a perfect bond with your students. The perfect student teacher interaction is formed by the students getting what the teacher is delivering. All this can be achieved with these few simple tricks…
Tell them why we learn Geometry?
Geometry is a simple idea. It stands on the plain soil with its roots going back to the early Greek philosophers and its branches protruding towards algebra and its visual interpretations. The best way to urge your students to learn and take part in your geometry class is by telling them why they have to learn it.
• Geometry is all around us
Explain to your students that even the most peculiar things relate to geometry. Every little part of this universe has nature and geometry explains this nature
• The history of Geometry is intriguing
Drawing the diagrams in the sand, Euclid the Greek mathematician set the first steps of modern geometry. So do what Euclid did with his pupils, take them out into the playground or park and draw the shapes that they dread seeing on the board. This won’t just enhance the visual interpretations but it will let them get out of the dull boring routine. It will give them a memorable moment.
Hands on Attention Getters
Get creative when it comes to geometry by real things or use dough to present the shapes (have them mold them). This way not only will the effort be engaged from both sides but your students will appreciate it too. Our mind has a huge capacity to withhold images and interpret them so use this creative idea to your advantage.
Jingle the Formulas
Geometry is all about the formulas. In order to make your students learn those formulas by heart, then master them, make them remember them through puns or jokes. Rap the formulas or mix them with a song. This is a contemporary approach and with today’s technology (phones, iPads, cameras, ect.) they have everything they need to create a studio style production in their pockets!
For example:
Well you know what they say about geometry? It’s a lot like the savannah. It’s got lines and graphs (Lions and Giraffs)! This is a completely horrible joke but you better believe they will remember it. Do these things for the tougher lessons. Be creative!
Give them choices
Let them take charge for a while by letting them decide what they want to learn first. Make them feel like an important part of the classroom by asking them what the next task is should be. Ask them if they would like to read the theorems out loud or do a cut out activity. This way they will feel like they are their own boss while you stay in charge of the situation. Getting them to take ownership doesn’t have to be difficult just let them make some of the decisions. The classroom should not be ran like a dictatorship.
Geometry is the most widely used area of mathematics in the real world and that’s why it is essential to learn the concepts. Research based teaching techniques and the relationship with the students are what matter in schools now. Times have changed and so should the teaching methodologies. Use attention getters that work for them. Not the attention getters that worked for you. There was no technology when we were in school. Now they all have it in their pockets!
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