Teaching Methods - Car Park
The Car Park
Teaching Methods
The Car Park
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Lesson duration is: 5 minIntroduction
The Car Park
Every teacher knows those moments when the lesson content simply doesn't resonate because the classroom dynamics aren't cooperating. Whether it's due to a difficult test the previous hour, a scuffle in the playground, or just a collective energy dip. Pushing through at such a time is pointless.
By making room for what's going on in the students' minds, you create cognitive space to learn again.
Instructions
What does this achieve in your classroom?
When you pause the lesson to make room for what's going on with students, you see an immediate effect on the classroom climate:
From resistance to cooperation:
Students who feel heard stop 'underground' protesting (like complaining, staring, or being disruptive). The battle for attention disappears because you've already given them that attention.
Less mental noise: If a student is full of stress about the next hour or a conflict in the playground, the brain simply doesn't absorb the subject content. Writing it down acts as a mental 'reset'. The problem isn't gone, but it's temporarily 'parked'.
Mutual respect: You show that you're not a teaching robot blindly running through your programme. Students appreciate that human side. It earns you credit later in the lesson (or in future lessons) when you ask for focused attention.
Group safety: Because everyone can respond anonymously, students see that they often struggle with the same issues. This reduces tension within the group.
Didactic and pedagogical foundation
It sometimes feels like a waste of time to pause the lesson, but scientifically it is a return-on-investment intervention: - Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller): Working memory has limited capacity. Emotions and distractions take up 'working memory bandwidth'. By parking these, you literally free up space for the lesson content. -
Emotion regulation ("Name it to tame it" - Siegel): Explicitly naming or writing down what's on your mind activates the prefrontal cortex and calms the brain's emotional centre (the amygdala). -
Relationship & Connectedness (Deci & Ryan): Motivation arises from three basic needs: autonomy, competence, and connectedness. With this intervention, you invest directly in the relationship and connectedness within the class.
How to create a 'parking space'? Choose your question on the slide.
In case of restlessness or noise (Open question): "What needs to get out of your head now before we can continue with the lesson?"
In case of low energy or tension (Word cloud or Scale): "Which word describes how you feel in the lesson right now?" or "How much energy do you have left for this lesson? (1 = empty, 10 = full)"
The implementation in 4 steps:
Acknowledge what you see without judging. "I notice there's no focus, let's pause the lesson for a moment."
Add a slide to your lesson and let students submit their answers anonymously.
Discuss the answers together. Summarise what you see and discuss any options.
Draw the line. You don't have to solve the problems, just acknowledge them. "We've parked it now and had a break, so let's get back to the material."
Helpful tip
Save a Parking slide in your Favourites. If a lesson isn't going well, you'll have it quickly at hand. Or make sure you always have your parking slide at the end of your lesson, so you can quickly switch to it when the lesson isn't going smoothly.
Items in this lesson
The Car Park
Teaching Methods
The Car Park
We're pausing the lesson for a moment.
How are you doing?
Which thought would you like to set aside for now?
Which word best describes how you feel right now?
Time for a break.
What would you like to share at this moment?