When we talk about the classroom management, several experts have concluded that the first and the last 4 minutes are those that carries the most significance.

Any educators would admit that handling students, mainly young ones is one of the most challenging tasks they have to undergo each day. Retaining their attention is a separate thing, but tempting them to the classroom environment and getting comfortable with the subject matter is the foremost activity. Consider the example of music classes, where the students will keenly listen to the very first note that plays along with the last one before the class is dismissed. This is where an effective lesson planning steps in.

So how do you want your students to react the end of the classroom? The point is to create a classroom engagement chart that promises to deliver great results.

Classroom Engagement: The End Period

Ask yourself: What do you want your students to perform at the end of the classroom? What your finishing “trademark” move that you’ll perform at the end of the class making them remember the lesson? And this is what you need to do:

·         Ask the learners to search for online images that constitute the main subject matter pointers of the lesson learned, and then gather them in an animated collage in Keynote.

·         Finish the music class by playing a note that students know well and play it themselves. However, ask them to perform better as a sign of acquiring the intended learning and playing well over the improvement taught.

·         Capture a video of the class at the end, critically examine yourself and develop a chart as a means for improvement in the next performance. This is an old-school rehearsal technique that still works quite well.

·         In the last 10 minutes, conduct a surprise assessment game show. The point is to initiate a fun and engaging activity that students will appreciate and refresh their minds.

Whatever of the above techniques you decide to incorporate at the end of the class, the idea is to move forward. This gives birth to a new, yet important question: what will you planned to do with the new learning?

Classroom Engagement: The Initial Period

If you’ve your finale in place, then it will become easy for you to initiate. Try the following ideas:

·         Most commonly teachers can be seen using YouTube to display some creative and powerful videos that captivate the students’ thoughts right from the beginning.

·         From the start, try to share some unique and interesting stories that help the students to understand the lesson better with each passing minute, hence, allowing them to think critically and devise questions for the end.

·         Collocate different disciplines indefinitely and connect only to associate the pointers later.

·         Include the element of suspense and cliffhanging that will gradually unveil as the lesson progresses, and eventually at its completion. Try to become Sherlock Holmes, by disclosing the mystery facts step-by-step at the end of the lesson.

No main course is considered to be complete without a mouthwatering appetizer and a dessert. And obviously, the full-fledged flow is the core meal. Once again a question arises: How should the teacher leave the students leaving the class? In a manner that encourages them to go for self-guided exploration!

Consider a student requiring an essay writing help for his or her project. The teacher will assist the students in a systematic manner by asking a series of thought-provoking questions, and linking different things in the topic only to get clearer as the learners advance in their project.The point is to initiate the class in a manner that tempts the student to stay connected with the rest of the project.

This is how any teacher can make the most out of the 4 minutes consumed from the beginning and end of the lesson.