getting them quiet and KEEPING them quiet

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Classroom Discipline Chatboard

getting them quiet and KEEPING them quiet

by inner city teacher

Jul 28, 2010

Just a question for all the teachers out there. My school is high minority, high poverty, and urban. We have overcrowding in our classrooms, uninterested students and parents, and very little support from administration. A large portion of our students are discipline problems. It is a frustrating place to teach. I have a question. When I walk down the halls of my school during my specials or lunch time, some classrooms I walk by seem very noisy, while other classrooms are VERY quiet. My classroom tends to be among the noisier ones, much to my chagrin. I find that a noisy classroom feels chaotic, and I do not like it. I also can't imagine kids being able to learn in that type of environment. So my question is for those teachers who have quiet classrooms - HOW do you do it?? I would attribute it to the group of kids they have, but I know better - the same teachers always have quiet kids, no matter what the group is like that they have, every year. The school year will be starting soon, a...See More

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New Jersey Sadly, I think these teachers who can keep a class moderately quiet/quiet are just born with that ability. Either you have it or you don't. Little tricks help but the fundamentals are just not there.

Aug 27, 2010

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Zodea Not true! My first few years of teaching were chaotic. I had no clue what I was doing or how to control the kids.

Starting my 7th year of teaching, I find my classes are fairly quiet. Yes it's still the beginning of the year, but the kids are sure being good! Even when I allow them to work with a partner, most of the time the noise level ...See More

Aug 28, 2010

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Carolyn I don't work in an inner city school, and don't have a lot of the same issues with students (behavior problems, uninvolved parents, etc), but I do want to offer an unusual concept: let them talk to each other every now and then, according to YOUR rules.

I begin my year by telling students: "My first rule is that you must not speak while I ...See MoreI don't work in an inner city school, and don't have a lot of the same issues with students (behavior problems, uninvolved parents, etc), but I do want to offer an unusual concept: let them talk to each other every now and then, according to YOUR rules.

I begin my year by telling students: "My first rule is that you must not speak while I am speaking. You might miss some important information, and besides, it's rude. BUT, this applies to me as well. I promise not to speak over you while you are talking." I also explain: "There will be plenty of opportunities for you to talk and interact with each other, but those opportunities are for me to decide." Then, I quickly give them a "getting to know you" activity where they do get the chance to talk to each other and then to me. Oh -- since my classes are 80 minutes long, I give my students a two minute break between periods for them to chat with each other quietly, then it's right back to work when the second bell rings. This is a great compromise.

I am unnerved by a silent classroom. I am also easily distracted by random sounds (crackling water bottles, for one). I like to hear my students discussing their learning with each other and with me. So, I don't have any ideas on how to keep them quiet. But I do believe my students are quiet when I'm talking because they know I will let them talk at some point during the class. In fact, I encourage it, because it shows a) the learning that is taking place and b) it saves my voice.

I teach 6th and 7th grade language arts, btw. Speaking is one of the standards I have to grade.

On 7/28/10, Daniel Hanson wrote: > Amy, > > You bring up a very good point. I used to believe that my students > and I could handle the noise and stuff, just as long as their are > engaged and on task. When I came into the profession, I wanted to > be a "facilitator of learning", not a drill sargent or dictator. > During my first year, I realized that students will not focus at > the beginning of class unless it is quiet, and as Fred Jones says > in his Tools for Teachers book, "Discipline BEFORE instruction". We > as teachers really can't teach if we don't have good classroom > management first. As a teacher, I just want to teach and not have > to stop for discipline/management issues, but it is a must for > students to have the appropriate learning environment. I sometimes > rationalize the noise in that the students can still be learning, > but it later doesn't show up in assessments. > > So, I have to be careful about rationalizing the noise and no try > to ignore it as I teach. > > And for me, my mind gets easily distracted by noise or movement, > too. The older I get and the more I'm around students, the more > ADHD I feel, lol. I have heard of adults getting ADHD. > > On 7/28/10, Amy wrote: >> Some teachers the noise level doesn't bother them - and that is >> fine if it is something you can work with. I need it calmer for >> me :)

Aug 28, 2010

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William I agree that silence doesn't equate to learning. I think students should be doing a lot of turn and talks and cooperative learning. The teacher needs to do less talking and the students need to do more DOING. However, I would stress here that there needs to a TON of direction around what that looks like. What does it mean to talk productively? What...See MoreI agree that silence doesn't equate to learning. I think students should be doing a lot of turn and talks and cooperative learning. The teacher needs to do less talking and the students need to do more DOING. However, I would stress here that there needs to a TON of direction around what that looks like. What does it mean to talk productively? What does it mean to modulate your volume? What does a good classroom sound like, look like, and feel like? Even though it might seem obvious, there are a lot of students who haven't been taught better.

The point about teacher modeling is also a good one. A teacher should hold to the same expectations that he demands of his/her student.

[link removed]

On 8/28/10, Carolyn wrote: > I don't work in an inner city school, and don't have a lot of the same > issues with students (behavior problems, uninvolved parents, etc), but I > do want to offer an unusual concept: let them talk to each other every > now and then, according to YOUR rules. > > I begin my year by telling students: "My first rule is that you must not > speak while I am speaking. You might miss some important information, > and besides, it's rude. BUT, this applies to me as well. I promise not > to speak over you while you are talking." I also explain: "There will be > plenty of opportunities for you to talk and interact with each other, > but those opportunities are for me to decide." Then, I quickly give them > a "getting to know you" activity where they do get the chance to talk to > each other and then to me. Oh -- since my classes are 80 minutes long, I > give my students a two minute break between periods for them to chat > with each other quietly, then it's right back to work when the second > bell rings. This is a great compromise. > > I am unnerved by a silent classroom. I am also easily distracted by > random sounds (crackling water bottles, for one). I like to hear my > students discussing their learning with each other and with me. So, I > don't have any ideas on how to keep them quiet. But I do believe my > students are quiet when I'm talking because they know I will let them > talk at some point during the class. In fact, I encourage it, because it > shows a) the learning that is taking place and b) it saves my voice. > > I teach 6th and 7th grade language arts, btw. Speaking is one of the > standards I have to grade. > > On 7/28/10, Daniel Hanson wrote: >> Amy, >> >> You bring up a very good point. I used to believe that my students >> and I could handle the noise and stuff, just as long as their are >> engaged and on task. When I came into the profession, I wanted to >> be a "facilitator of learning", not a drill sargent or dictator. >> During my first year, I realized that students will not focus at >> the beginning of class unless it is quiet, and as Fred Jones says >> in his Tools for Teachers book, "Discipline BEFORE instruction". We >> as teachers really can't teach if we don't have good classroom >> management first. As a teacher, I just want to teach and not have >> to stop for discipline/management issues, but it is a must for >> students to have the appropriate learning environment. I sometimes >> rationalize the noise in that the students can still be learning, >> but it later doesn't show up in assessments. >> >> So, I have to be careful about rationalizing the noise and no try >> to ignore it as I teach. >> >> And for me, my mind gets easily distracted by noise or movement, >> too. The older I get and the more I'm around students, the more >> ADHD I feel, lol. I have heard of adults getting ADHD. >> >> On 7/28/10, Amy wrote: >>> Some teachers the noise level doesn't bother them - and that is >>> fine if it is something you can work with. I need it calmer for >>> me :)

Mar 4, 2012

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Ann I feel very uncomfortable teaching a class in which one can hear a pin drop but I agreee that teachers do too much talking. I taught an intervention program called Reading Recovery for first graders; I was trained to barely talk at all....basically just model (with writing and manipulatives) and just respond to the child's errors. This actually wor...See More

May 24, 2012

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