Have you ever had a class that was difficult to quiet? Some teachers are very skilled at this, others struggle, and often it depends on the group of students you have. There are many times during the day when it’s necessary to get a class to instantly quiet. If this is difficult to achieve, we waste valuable class time. Need ideas? Here are some suggestions from veteran teachers who have found solutions that work:
1. “Give me Five”. Hold up all five fingers of one hand. Instruct students to quiet and hold up five fingers when they see you. As the class begins to quiet, other students will notice and, in turn, will hold up five fingers too. If they don’t quiet, start to count down from 5. When teaching this method, students learn that “Give me five” is the clue to begin to quiet. “Four” means “eyes on me”, “Three” means “mouths closed”, “Two…One…Zero, Thank-you!” This will take some repeated practice with the students.
2. “Minutes on the Board”. Place a time on the board such as “5 minutes”. Offer this as free time at the end of class. If they refuse to quiet, walk slowly to the board and start reducing the time on your board until students notice and begin to quiet. (Peer pressure works well with this one.)
3. “If you can hear me…” Recite this to the students: “If you hear me, clap once. If you hear me, clap twice. If you hear me, clap three times…” Students will hear the clapping and stop talking to join in. Each time reduce the volume of your voice. Students respond to this as it gives them permission to join in the clapping. The more students who join in, the louder the clapping becomes and soon, all students are paying attention.
4. “Sing the First Part of a Familiar Song” If you begin singing the first line in a song they know, then stop, they can chime in with the next line. Change it up by finding songs they like and changing the tune throughout the school year, so this method does not become stale. Find out your students’ favorites. This will get their attention so you can then move them to the next task of the day.
5. “Need your Eyes and Ears in 5..4…3…2…1”. If you make it to zero, write “5 seconds” on the board. This is the amount of time they must stay after the bell rings. Repeat, adding 5 seconds each time until all students are quiet. Again, peer pressure works well.
6. “Call and Response”. Train your students to respond to a particular phrase.
For example: “Holy…” Students respond, “Macaroni”. “One, two, three, eyes on me.” Students respond “One, two, eyes on you.” “Hey!” Students respond, “Macarena.” “Oh, Mickey You’re So Fine” Students respond, “You’re so Fine you Blow my Mind, Hey Mickey!” Come up with your own “Call and Response” sayings.
With all of these methods, practice is important. You might have the students purposely become talkative and then quiet as you model the method you choose. Use distinct sounds like a bell, a buzzer, or music to signal students it’s time to quiet. Pick the brain of teachers in your school who are effective at quieting their classes. We can all learn from each other.
