Preventing chatting

amother ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 7:16 pm

How can I stop/prevent chatting that is going on in my elementary grade classroom?

I have I tried Harry Wong's give me five, I have tried putting names on the board and following through with consequences, I have shushed, asked for quiet and even gave the stare.

I do know that sometimes chatting can come from too much downtime, so do I run the class faster and then after I assess them deal with the slower students? I know this has what to do with differentiated teaching, but I still have to teach to the bulk of the class not the individual.

↑ amother ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 7:25 pm

I feel as though I could have written this post myself, word for word!!!
The one thing that I find helps a bit is a tickets program. I give out tickets and say "I love the way _______ is doing his work" or "______ has been paying attention all day, he's getting a ticket". Unfortunately, this doesn't usually help the extreme behavior issues in the class but it helps for the middle students- the ones who otherwise get easily distracted... it's worth it to them to listen so that they can get prizes later (unfortunately, we are living in a generation that gets rewarded for doing what's expected...) Good Luck! Let me know what works for you!

nicole81 ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 7:33 pm

How long has this been going on that you've tried so many strategies?? You need to be consistent with your set of rules and set consequences for a while before your class gets the message. And consequences should be ascending in severity with each infraction, and followed through with every single time.

As far as picking up the pace, that might help. But if the majority of the students need the slower pace, then you're right, you need to differentiate. The students who breeze through the work need independent and enjoyable tasks to work on quietly while you are teaching.

In my classroom, I have 5 independent project options for any student that tests out of a unit, or just gets through the work quickly. They still have a set of work responsibilities besides their project, and they must complete daily learning logs. They can pick up and work at any time. I teach 9th grade, but I do think that kids can learn to work independently at a younger age, and it's a valuable skill.

If you want, I can post my set of rules and disciplinary consequences/strategy, but I'm not sure if it would be applicable to your situation.

groisamomma ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 7:41 pm

nicole's right, kids can learn to work independently from a very young age. I also have pertinent projects/extra credit work available at all time for those students that breeze through the work quickly.

I'm not sure if you are a new teacher or not, but realize that chatting in a moderate amount is good for the classroom; encourage them to talk to each other about the subject matter only and ask them to direct anything else to you. They may be asking for help or just gabbing because they're girls. Wink

↑ amother

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 7:56 pm

OP here: I'd rather not discuss the grade- I know that sounds silly- but it's elementary boys.

groisamomma wrote:

so my question on this is, if I'm teaching them the new spelling words I dont want students to be able to take out their "what now?" booklets because I want them to pay attention to the lesson being given. I do have things for them to do (like their "what now?" booklets) so when I'm done teaching the spelling words and they have completed their spelling worksheet then they can work independently. However, I'm still having talking during the teaching part.

groisamomma wrote:

I'm not sure if you are a new teacher or not, but realize that chatting in a moderate amount is good for the classroom; encourage them to talk to each other about the subject matter only and ask them to direct anything else to you. They may be asking for help or just gabbing because they're girls. Wink

they are not talking about subject matter, they have a hard time focusing, and having a handful of boys who are below grade level along with discipline issues only makes these students harder to manage and they are affecting the students sitting next to them.

↑ nicole81 ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 8:01 pm

If they are talking while you are teaching, then your management system is not working.

You need to stop every time they talk. Don't say a word. Stop the lesson for 20 minute if you need to. It is your classroom, and you should never tolerate an interruption.

What do your rules and consequences look like? Because it seems like you have jumped around in terms of your reactions, and consistency is the absolute most important strategy in classroom management.

↑ groisamomma ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 8:51 pm

nicole81 wrote:

Are you kidding me? This will invite giggling and fidgeting, big time. Teachers that pause for that long and F-O-C-U-S on the misbehavior like this are only providing them with negative attention thus ensuring that they will do it again. For the kicks, if nothing else. Do me a favor, OP, have some self-respect. Do NOT show them it bothers you personally bec. it's not a personal thing.

If you stop and pause every time they talk you WILL lose the rest of the class. Don't stilt your lessons with your own two hands. Bad move. Keep things moving as much as possible.

Listening to you talk too long is boring for them, even if it's the first time they're learning the material. When teaching new spelling words, for example, do it in a fun and different way each time.

Ex: Say the new word out loud and use it in a sentence. Then, put 3 choices on the board two of which are spelled wrong. Have the class quickly vote on which one they think is spelled correctly. Prepare the choices beforehand on a transparency so you do NOT spend time writing it out. Remember, the key is to cut it short. Then, circle the correct choice and have them copy it once.

Another way to do it would be to put each new word onto an index card. Have the boys sit in a circle on the floor with an index card in front of each boy. You can do this in rows, too, if you're more comfortable. They take turns lifting their words and spelling them aloud to the rest of the class. Let them do some teaching for you. They love getting involved.

Or, you can simply state the new word and have some kids go up and try to spell it before you teach it. It's an alternative to the traditional pretest. They love writing on the board and most will stay captivated if there's a chance they'll be next to write on the board. Don't drag it out by waiting for each kid to take a turn and sit down. Keep things moving by having more than one at the board at a time. Randomly call on them to "take over" if a kid up there is stuck.

Good luck!

↑ groisamomma ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 8:59 pm

amother wrote:

OP here: I'd rather not discuss the grade- I know that sounds silly- but it's elementary boys.

groisamomma wrote:

If it's a younger grade, these boys can be kept quiet by forming a baseball team. Divvy up the class in four or five permanent groups based on where they sit and try to stick one of these special needs kids in each groups so they're evenly distributed. Draw a mini field on their desks with their team letter on it. Attach a velcro paper "ball" which can be moved from base to base. You need to catch them being good to get it started, so in the beginning when they schmooze, tell them that as soon as they are quiet their team can move to the next base. Remember, other teams should be encouraged as well by randomly moving when you catch them being quiet. The first team whose balls come back to home get (incentive) a bit less homework, 3 minutes early recess, etc. Keep the incentives small so they don't get big expectations.

Good luck!

↑ nicole81 ↓

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 9:03 pm

Maybe it's a grade thing. Like I said, I teach high school. I stop every single time my students talk. Yes, there have been days I lose most of the lesson. Like 2 or 3 times in 4 years. And it's worth it to regain the class at 100% attention for the next month. I don't accept any talking when I'm teaching the class. Ever. I have hardly any management issues, and I teach inner city, severely below grade level, and special education students.

On the other hand, I teach interactively and effectively. I have no idea what the OP does in her classroom.

In addition, my expectations are clear from the get go and I don't try different discipline strategies. My consequences are appropriate, and are followed through with from the first day on.

Maybe it's a combination of different factors with the OP.

↑ groisamomma

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 9:11 pm

nicole81 wrote:

Having taught in frum schools and as a teacher in an inner-city district in NJ I can tell that this teacher is obviously in a frum environment and does not have the resources available to her that you might have. Discipline policies in a frum private school are not usually uniform throughout the school and most frum teachers I know teach the traditional way like the OP, which is the way I was taught. Additionally, no matter how low class I've taught there's a certain respect (grudging sometimes, but respect nevertheless) that inner-city kids have for their teachers. Or at least for those they like.

I still don't see how pausing a lesson for a long period of time is effective. Especially for special needs students such as those you teach. Knowing the black, inner-city crowd, they're not exactly yearning for you to continue teaching, so what makes them stay quiet for 20 minutes of silence?

↑ nicole81

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 9:32 pm

You must have misunderstood. I didn't advocate for the OP to make her students sit in silence for 20 minutes. That's punitive and serves absolutely no purpose.

What I meant was to pause when the students are talking. And if they won't even stop for 20 minutes, then so be it. I start talking when they stop (if such a situation arises. Like I said, a couple of times over YEARS.) A teacher should never resort for talking over her students. If they are talking and not paying attention, then they are not learning anyway. What's the point of instructing over a class of chatting students? Waste some time pausing and waiting, and eventually you will gain even more learning time.

As far as discipline policies, even in my school they vary from class to class. And some teachers have discipline issues, and some don't. It all comes down to a consistent teacher-created system. Even in my first year, I didn't ever need to call the dean to my classroom because I could manage things internally (incidentally I am the dean of the school now.) So public/private has nothing to do with it. How many times have I said consistency is key?

You have a point though that the OP probably teaches in the traditional method. Lack of engagement is usually the root of behavior problems in the first place.

seeker

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 10:02 pm

Some nice suggestions above. I just want to add one trick that I've found pretty effective - rather than stop talking just for effect, I pull out a stopwatch and tell the kids that any learning time that's lost due to chatting will be made up at recess. Whenever they start chatting, you make a big (silent) show of stopping what you're saying and starting the stopwatch. Hopefully they'll snap to attention and you can stop the watch within a few seconds, and you'll only have to dismiss them a couple of minutes late for recess, and only a few times before the behavior extinguishes.

If the problem is so severe that you fear they will lose too much recess, or if docking recess is against school policy, then prepare something special for the end of the day that you can dock time from. A story, a game, whatever. But you have to decide this BEFORE beginning the intervention otherwise it seems like they're being rewarded for misbehavior!

↑ lamplighter

Tue, Sep 13 2011, 11:33 am

Stopping to teach is only effective when used on rare occasions and it's more the "shock" factor, that the teacher had to stop etc, then anything else. Stopping daily or a few times per day will just teach kids how much power they have and often give them even more opportunity to talk.
Like I mentioned before lessons should be engaging, students should be given tasks, maybe group work, and activities in each lesson. They should also be held accountable for their work and a discipline system of some sort I.e. rewards and consequences should be in place.
The most important thing is that they see who's in charge and that they cannot unwire you or the lesson. To support that, usually you need to catch the behavior right away. Do not continue trying to teach if it's not working, give them work instead while you take the time to make a new plan.
Remember the 5:1 ratio- 5 positive interactions for each negative. Try to keep class management by focusing on positive and rewarding it.
I would also look out to see how many and which kids are doing the talking, is it everyone? is it the same 3 boys? are they sitting next to each other? Do they have learning or attention issue that you know of?
If you need a discipline system, I have many ideas, but the main thing with these systems is 1)see affect of actions (good and opposite) 2)reward is not too far ahead 3)consistent 4)there is an individual system AND a class system.
Ok I'm rambling...