Have you ever led a group of people when you noticed their attention was focused on something other than you (or whatever it was you were attempting to focus their attention on)?
Distractions are everywhere. From cell phones in pockets, movement outside a window, murmuring or grumbling from a corner of the crowd, the computer screen that just messed up, your fly is down, etc.
And distractions always win. The other week ago at Fifty6 one of our teachers was leading ROOTS, our (current) teaching segment. Josh was telling the story from Daniel 3 (we called it “Three Guys and a Heater”). He was planning on incorporating our students into the story, assigning them different roles to play (our fifth grade version of King Nebuchadnezzar was the best). Minutes before he began, another of our teachers pointed out a group of students who were sitting on the stairs, practically on the stage. This group of boys would be behind Josh the entire time, a clear distraction to the rest of the room. Mandy asked Josh if he wanted her to move these students or if he wanted to somehow include them.
In a moment of teaching brilliance, Josh decided to have this group of boys be the heater from the story. He had them all move closer together and to a specific point near the stage, cueing their fiery flames at various points throughout the furnace (especially when the furnace was heated seven times it’s normal temperature).
This was more than experiential storytelling; this was inclusive storytelling. Rather than simply moving these students and controlling the distraction, Josh hijacked the distraction, taking what was and making it what he needed.
So often we try and impose ideas and objects rather than using what’s already there. What are your students bringing with them? What’s already in the room? What are the things that capture their attention when you’re trying to focus it elsewhere?
Hijack these distractions, intentionally including them in your story, teaching, lesson, activity, experience, etc.
