Novelty Attention-Getters¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Novelty attention-getters use unique and unexpected stimuli to capture young students' attention and quiet the classroom. Examples include wind chimes, rain sticks, imaginary actions like "popping a marshmallow," or a "quiet spray" bottle filled with lavender-scented water. The unusual or imaginative stimulus interrupts ongoing behavior and signals a transition to focused attention, functioning as the "gain attention" event in Gagné's 9 Events.

Design Implications¶

Novelty exploits the distinctiveness effect: stimuli that deviate from the surrounding routine are detected and attended to more readily than expected ones [von Restorff, 1933] [+M]. However, the effect is inherently self-limiting — a stimulus is novel only until it becomes routine, so attention-getters must be rotated or refreshed to retain their power [~M]. Novelty captures attention but does not sustain it; the getter must be immediately followed by instruction that holds the attention it won.

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A small repertoire of novelty items or signals (auditory, visual, tactile, or imaginative) that can be rotated
• Explicit teaching of the signal's meaning and expected response, practiced until the routine is automatic
• Consistent implementation: the same signal always means the same thing, even as the specific stimulus varies
• An immediate instructional activity ready to deploy once attention is gained (Direct Instruction)

Constraints¶

• Effectiveness decays with repetition; an overused novelty item becomes background noise and loses its interruptive power [-M]
• Some students, particularly those with sensory sensitivities or autism spectrum profiles, may be overstimulated or distressed by loud or surprising stimuli [-M] — see Accommodations
• Novelty can capture attention toward the stimulus itself, competing with the lesson content rather than supporting it [~M]
• Requires teacher creativity and adaptability; a depleted repertoire leads to inconsistent routines

Implementation Variability¶

• Auditory signals: chimes, rain sticks, call-and-response chants ("Class–Yes" in Whole Brain Teaching)
• Imaginative/pretense actions: "popping a marshmallow," "quiet spray," finger plays — leverage young children's engagement with pretend scenarios
• Visual signals: raised hand, light flicker, silent hand signals for noise-sensitive contexts
• Themed rotation: swapping attention-getters to match unit themes or seasons to preserve novelty

Target Learners¶

• Early elementary students (PreK–3), who respond strongly to pretend play and sensory novelty [+W]
• Whole-class settings where a single signal must redirect many students at once
• Less appropriate for older learners, for whom novelty signals can feel infantilizing and undermine credibility [-W]
• Requires adaptation for students with sensory processing differences Accommodations

Target Learning Goals¶

• Attention capture and transition management — a prerequisite condition for instruction, not a learning outcome in itself
• Behavioral self-regulation: over time, students internalize the routine and quiet more quickly
• Imaginative engagement that can be repurposed as a hook for lesson content

Instructions¶

1. Select 3–5 novelty signals and teach each one explicitly, modeling the expected student response (Gain Attention)
2. Rehearse the routine during low-stakes moments until response is automatic within a few seconds
3. Deploy a signal at transition points — before Direct Instruction, after group work, or to interrupt disruption
4. Follow immediately with instruction or a task; do not let gained attention dissipate
5. Rotate or retire signals as they lose effectiveness, and retire any signal that distresses individual students

Related Strategies¶

• Call-and-Response — a verbal novelty routine that doubles as retrieval practice
• Attention Signals — the broader category; novelty getters are one variant
• Classroom Routines — the procedural structure novelty getters plug into

Examples¶

• Whole Brain Teaching (https://wholebrainteaching.com) — the "Class–Yes" call-and-response and "Scoreboard" routines embed novelty within a consistent management system
• Responsive Classroom (https://www.responsiveclassroom.org) — uses interactive modeling to teach attention signals, emphasizing predictable routines over novelty for its own sake
• A kindergarten teacher rotates a rain stick, a "marshmallow pop" pretend action, and a themed chime each month, refreshing the repertoire before any single signal loses its effect

Key Sources¶

• von Restorff, H. (1933). Über die Wirkung von Bereichsbildungen im Spurenfeld. Psychologische Forschung, 18(1), 299–342.
• Gagné, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design (4th ed.). Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
• Kounin, J. S. (1970). Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
• Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112. doi:10.3102/003465430298487