Gaining attention

The description of the method. The teacher offers an image, an information excerpt, question, or video and invites students to write down their predictions and/or assumptions about what the teacher has offered. At the end of the lesson, students are invited to return to their prediction and/or assumption by watching the images, video or other preparations again. (Method is offered by Italy)

• Biology. Animal cell observation in microscope. student guesses - Animal cells are more complex than plant cells! Animal cell is the same as a human cell.

• English language. Image observation: barbarians.

• English language. Teacher shows an image of a man of a profession dressed in clothing of a certain era, asks an encouraging question, such as - Who is the person in the picture? - Why is he wearing those clothes? - What is he doing? (Example "Barbarians")

The description of the method. Teacher chooses an idea or concept that she/he wishes to teach in lesson. Teacher draws on the board the same number as the letters in the chosen word (words). Some letters are kept visible. In the beginning of the lesson, the students are allowed to guess by calling a letter. Teacher writes letters in the appropriate places. For each wrong letter, the teacher draws on the board a part of Hangman. It is continued until someone can say the word or the Hangman is finished. The activity can be led by students. (Method is offered by Latvia)

• History. While teaching about development of medieval states, the teacher chooses the term “centralization”

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The description of the method. Teacher informs students of the lesson goal/learning objective and pays special attention to what the students will gain - What will you gain if you know this and will be able to do it? The examples need to be specific as students will not be motivated by such arguments as - “You will be smarter! This improves your memory! This will be useful in your job!” To interest students through gains in the lesson, they must be concrete and specific. That is also the reason why it will be hard to think of these gains for every lesson. (Method is offered by Latvia)

The description of the method. In order to get students to think about the training topic, the teacher writes terms of the topic on cardboards and places them on the tables in the classroom. Students walk all around in the classroom, look on the cards and choose the term attracting him/her most. Then, he/she justifies his/her choice by describing how the term is connected with the learning topic. After follows the student who thinks his/her chosen topic is connected to the previous and so on. The number of terms should be twice as many as the number of students so that they have enough choice. It is important that each student chooses only one term otherwise the explanations and process will flow out. (Method is offered by Latvia)

The description of the method. students write 3 questions about today's topic. What do you want to learn about it? (Method is offered by Latvia)

• Class lesson. “Learning motivation”. Terms: self-awareness, learning skills, motivation, learning process, inner motivation, external motivation, learning environment, study material, demands, behavior, tenacity, willpower, learning methods, award, appreciation, self-expression etc.

The description of the method. In order to bring students closer to the subject and begin to delve into it, the teacher asks students to prepare potential gifts related to the topic of the lesson and to give them to their classmates. Students walk around the room and give each other the gifts. (Method is offered by Latvia)

• Biology. For example, if the topic of the lesson is “Mammals”, students can give, for example, “I give you a beautiful poodle” or “I give you a pony”, and the other student says thanks for the gift and “give” to the classmate his gift “But I give you a fabulous beautiful, long-necked giraffe” and so on. The students then collect their gifts and conclude which gift was most surprising and whether all the gifts were related to the theme “Mammals.” The method is more suitable for primary school.

The description of the method. This task can be done by class together, individually, in pairs or groups. students receive two images and compare them. What is common, what is different? (Method is offered by Norway)

• First foreign language. Topic: “Europe before and after WW2”. Teacher shows students two maps: 1. Europe map and 2. EU map. students need to find differences. students contemplate the information and try to explain in their own words. (Example "Map 1")

• First foreign language. Topic: “European Union and Brexit”. Teacher shows two maps: European political map and EU map. students are asked to find differences between them. students answer and try to explain using their own words.(Example "Map 2")

The description of the method. In the beginning of the lesson teacher tells students a personal story or an observation connected to the lesson topic. It is important that the story is personally significant and relatively short. (Method is offered by Latvia)

• Form 7 students started learning about knights in history. Teacher told them how she/he thought and dreamed about them as a child but then learned how it was in real life.

The description of the method. Lesson is started by a teacher or student reading a prepared excerpt from a book or newspaper connected to the lesson topic. students are asked questions to guide the idea how this fragment relates to the topic of the lesson before or after the reading. (Method is offered by Latvia)

• In chemistry lesson, the teacher offers a fragment from a youth literature book in which an explosion occurs as a result of compounding certain substances. The topic is…

The description of the method. Teacher offers students a topic or question connected with their lives. students need to define their feelings towards the topic. Then they discuss it within themselves and in 2-3 sentences define how these words are connected with the lesson topic. Group talks over what they have written and together draw conclusions. (Method is offered by Latvia)

• Teacher asks what students feel or think about the topic “School holidays”. Students offer different answers, including that holidays are short, too short. After that students in groups need to figure out how their answers are connected with the lesson topic “Writer E. Veidenbaums” thus trying to remember what they already know about the topic. For example, students say that E. Veidenbaum’s life was short, too little poems were written, or verses are short. In the end, the group draws conclusions, such as - E. Veidenbaums lived a short life but his written pieces (poetry) are still current nowadays.

The description of the method. Students’ previous knowledge and notions about various topics can be inaccurate. When actualising the topic, the teacher can purposefully challenge students’ views, experience and knowledge by offering a provocation which encourages to think and review these notions. (Method is offered by Italy)

• Physical Education. Topic: “My movement” The students have to watch the video “YES I CAN” about movement. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzjuQoNM534) After that they have to reflect and write down their personal opinions on how the movement overcomes the barriers of communication and collaboration.

• Sciences. Teacher offers sentences on the board. For example, - A blanket keeps you warm. The moon shines. Students are asked provocative questions - how does the blanket keep you warm? If a blanket keeps you warm, will it warm a stone if we put the blanket on it?