When your students see that your hand is raised, they too will raise their hands. . I say once what we’re to do and find one person doing it. When the class isn’t listening and you feel like the teacher on Charlie Brown, it is tempting to yell at the class BUT there are better ways than yelling! The ideas below are perfect for controlling classroom noise and redirecting students’ behavior. 5 Ways to Quiet Down a Noisy Drama Class… Without Yelling. As founder of Due Season Press and Educational Services, she has created printable curriculum resources, online courses, 5 books, the Truth for Teachers podcast, and the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Club. Somehow, when you just add the word "game" to your request, the kids will generally snap right into line. That said, here are five ways to get your class quiet again without raising your voice. Every time the class is noisy, I open it. It’s a bit of fun and I’ve always found fun to be one of the best ways of getting a negative group on side in the shortest possible time; especially if it involves allowing them to make a lot of noise. There are 18 kids in the fifth grade that are a part of the after school program in which I am the leader for. In the morning, after break and after lunch line the kids up outside the classroom. First, you can train them to enter the room silently or quietly. Another way that you can exercise discipline and increase your ability to be quiet is to avoid eating during class. Thanks for your support. I have always wanted a comprehensive list of all of the best attention getters in one spot. My problem is a little sticky. . Here are a few other posts that might be helpful. And sing an advert song advertising cheap and unhealthy fast food? My quiet signal is very simple: I call quietly “Moose!” and my students reply with “Antlers!” They place their hands on their heads in antler form. Marina T. uses this one: “Drop it [they have to actually drop what’s in their hands], Zip it [mouths are closed], Lock it [all eyes are locked on the teacher.] Class.”…a few kids at first will reply “yes. Place them in groups with children they feel comfortable with and are good at including others in conversation. Here are some teacher-tested student discipline strategies that meet the objective of maintaining a quiet classroom with ease. A bit of praise seems to motivate others quickly. Demonstrate the behavior you want to see. Managing a classroom takes time to learn and to refine. Constantly having to refocus your class is a normal part of teaching. It gets concert-hall quiet!”. The key to any successful classroom management plan is to think carefully about the goals you want to achieve and act confidently. I would love to hear other solutions that would have a similar effect as a music box from some fellow educators here any suggestions? January 15, 2020. Magical Music Your students will soon get used to this routine and it should be pretty quick and easy to quiet them down. show theme songs. I’m not above using the occasional small treat to motivate students, if necessary. I recommend looking into the method. I love the ideas and plan to bring these up at our next grade level meeting. If you are in need of some great attention getters to quiet your classroom, this list is just for you! We had a signal that anyone in the room could use. Every day I nominate a “Captain Silence” who walks around the classroom at my instruction and gives the thumbs up or down for students working quietly. And coincidentally, Jah in Spanish (ya) means “done”. I say Marco, and they respond with Polo as a group. [1] X Research source For instance, make a "peace" sign so they can "peace" back at you. Or find more ideas in my post 15 creative & respectful ways to quiet a class. Take them outside. If everyone is ready and quiet when I get to 0, the class earns a point. You can do this in a number of ways. Ways to Get a Quiet (er) Classroom. I never have to say a thing. You can do this in a number of ways. Then we all clap once together.” Stephanie W. uses this: “Take a seat, take a seat…Take a load off your feet, whoop whoop [raise arms on the whoop whoop].” Another idea is to play a Simon Says-like game: “If you can hear me, put your hands on your head” and so on with different directions to get kids moving. When you make it, they should make it back at you. I am a Girl Scout leader, and our troop is often rowdy. Or I’ll say, “What does ready look like? Just got placed in a classroom of 6th graders in the middle of the semester because their teacher suddenly quit. Make your hours in the classroom as productive and peaceful as possible. So, I decided to poll the Education to the Core Community to see what we could come up with. I have been using hand signals, but sometimes it takes too much time before they even realize I am trying to connect. They love to shout it out and I get their undivided attention. I read this about ten years ago and have used it since then with great success. e. Reacting to noise with noise rarely works, so don’t shout in order to get your loud students to quiet down. Classroom-Management Tips for Substitute Teachers, Helpful Classroom Management Strategies Every Teacher Should Try, Tips for Teachers to Make Classroom Discipline Decisions, 7 Ways to Take Control of Your Classroom to Reduce Student Misbehavior, Weekly Newsletter for Parent Communication, How to Deal with Oppositional Defiant Disorder in the Classroom, 4 Tips for Effective Classroom Management, Teaching Strategies to Keep Struggling Students Working, 4 Principles of Classroom Management and Social Emotional Learning, What Teachers Can Do About Misbehavior in the Classroom, Tips and Tricks for Getting Your Students' Attention, B.A., Sociology, University of California Los Angeles. By the middle of the year, I don’t even say it anymore, I just put my hand up and the kids quiet down by 1.”. You can use kids’ songs, popular music, classical or jazz songs you want to expose the kids to, songs related to your unit of study, etc. Kids love this game and will quiet down immediately as you reach towards the music box. Hang curtains or blinds in the windows. I have these problems with grade 10 and up. You might be surprised at how well this simple technique works! When you get home from work, do you often feel hoarse from telling the kids to stop talking and exhausted from trying, in vain, to keep your kids on task? A twist on this is to raise your hand and count one finger at a time. Maria is a K-12 learning specialist and educational therapist focused on intensive math intervention. As teachers, we know the value of having good attention getters to quiet noisy classrooms. So today I’m looking at 4 ways you can improve classroom acoustics. I am not sure why you would to give macdonald’s free advertising every lesson? I use Marco-Polo. Love these ideas, thank you. Don’t get frustrated! Here’s a list of 13 ways to calm kids down: 1. I can’t take credit for this one, but I love it! Post the rules around the lunchroom, and give each student a copy of the list at the beginning of the school year. Feature photo: Gateway Elementary, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. by Kerry Hishon. Angela is a National Board Certified Teacher with 11 years experience in the classroom, plus over a decade of experience as an instructional coach. Great idea, going to try that on Sunday morning. I do have a question about using a sign to cue students instead of singing/playing music to get their attention. One of the best ways to maintain a quiet classroom is to catch students at the door before they enter. There is nothing she enjoys more than to turn math haters into math lovers through fun games, meaty number talks & the occasional M&M. The kids were told at the beginning of the year that when the bell sounded, it was the signal to stop everything and look for the teacher. The ‘check in” sign has been one of my classroom management tools for years.” Toni L. uses a wind up music box: “I wind it on Monday. Take a deep breath, smile, and keep encouraging your students. I teach ESL to adult students in their 40s. I have always wanted a comprehensive list of all of the best attention getters in one spot. Tell the students that, whenever they are noisy or off task, you will open the music box and let the music play until they quiet down and get back to work. 2. Classroom management is key. Make a signal so that your students become aware of the fact that the classroom has become too loud, and they need to quiet down. You are in charge. 5. 7. Finding ways to encourage and engage quiet personalities can be well worth the effort. Here’s a list of 13 ways to calm kids down: 1. Kids love them, and these classroom attention-getters really work! understands speech; reads and spells; behaves in the classroom; pays attention; and/or; concentrates. You can set the timer and tell the kids that you going to see how long they can stay quiet this time. I like to teach students the signs for quiet, stand up, sit down, line up, and other basic directions. Wonderful ideas, will definitely try some of them. When the class isn’t listening and you feel like the teacher on Charlie Brown, it is tempting to yell at the class BUT there are better ways than yelling! The kids were told at the beginning of the year that when the bell sounded, it was the signal to stop everything and look for the teacher. Feb 5, 2016 - 15 creative & respectful ways to quiet a class - amazing ideas on how to get your students' attention without yelling. With this many creative ways, surely they can find one that will work for them. Standing and waiting for it to get quiet works like a domino effect, one student realizes you are waiting for them and they help to get the rest of the classroom to quiet down. After all, you may not have heard them quiet all day. I let them make suggestions, I include the ones I can live with, then students vote on their favorite. Avoid rushing this important procedure. Angela Watson Angela is a National Board Certified Teacher with 11 years experience in the classroom, plus over a decade of experience as an instructional coach. In the Bam Radio Show titled, “Teaching and Caring for Shy, Socially Sensitive Children” some terrific points were made about integrating shy children into the classroom experience. Loud/quiet games work great for camp settings. Quiet Classroom Strategies. Everyone, including me, who saw that signal was obligated to do the same until dead silent reigned. Robert B. teaches math, and tells his students, “Give me a factor of ___” and the kids hold up the correct number of fingers (i.e. Sometimes I start with 3. For older kids I would recommend using familiar tunes. Instead, I wanted to redirect their conversations toward their work and away from idle chatter. If you’re not comfortable singing with your class, try playing music on your computer or CD player. Trying to quiet a noisy classroom is less about discipline, and more about routines. Works wonders with me- parents and admin even do it when they are in the room. It’s rare that they aren’t ready by the time I get to 1. If at the end of the day, there is any music left, the kids receive some type of reward. I know some teachers write a word on the board (like “quiet”) and start to erase it if attention is not given… but I’m not a big fan of that one and again, it’d be difficult to use since I have 5 different classes. And they will do say, “Whoooosh” (for Michael Jordon), My middle schoolers (!!) Before giving anything out, I described what activ… You can use a hand bell to alert your kids the noise is too loud. Think about desk placement in the classroom. The first day of school I told the children that our room would only hold so much sound before it started flowing out into the hall. This is a great technique for substitute teachers to have in their back pockets! If you keep trying to push through your lesson, it’s like shaking up a 2-liter of soda and waiting for the pressure to go away on its own. On a side note, I picked up the finger idea from an in-service where I also learned to use hand signals for when students need to go to the bathroom, get water, etc. These are affiliate links, which mean I get a percentage of each sale at no additional cost to you. It worked well for me and it enabled my kids to be more hands on and basically teach themselves and others, therfore less time to fool around. Then I say “I like the way **** is waiting to begin”. I have been using this for years, and it still works!” Behavior management strategies for classroom management: preschool, kindergarten, 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th & 6th grade! For my middle schoolers – all boys – I just stop talking and sit down (I do not respond at all until they get quiet) – they get the message real quick and start encouraging each other to stop talking – usually just takes a few seconds. Maybe they can earn tickets for a weekly drawing or a few minutes towards end-of-the-week free play time. Bethany M. uses a zen chimewith a long sustain. This strategy has been successful for all of my students, extroverts and introverts alike. Right now, the desks in my classroom are arranged in a horseshoe. Any tips? This achieves mutually understood and respected classroom … Hope it helps! http://bettereveryyear.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/attention-getters-using-books-of-course/. So we put mini orange caution cones on the table for the first 15 minutes of lunch. But I also agree you should vary your techniques. The leader sang, “Shout out my soul for the glory of God!” We’d all reply in song, “Shout out my soul for the glory of God!” Then the leader would sing, “His love is forever and ever!” We’d reply, “His love is for ever and ever!” There was another verse; something about ‘together’. Bianca G.  sings the Wada Wada Bing Bang song with her class, and says, “If they are singing they can’t be talking. Be creative and find the perfect no-cost reward that your students will really want to quiet down for. I will calmly repeat (changing the number of claps) until I have the attention of the entire room. Thank you, Lisa! #2, 3, 5, 7, 12, and 14 could all be used for secondary students. I like “Raise your hand if you can hear me”….it takes a moment but it good K though adult! These are great! Make a big show of gliding around the room and sweeping the sprinkles over your students. Thank you. 4 for 1 hour. Sometimes I whisper it and often use a silly voice, even a loud voice. Make a signal so that your students become aware of the fact that the classroom has become too loud, and they need to quiet down. Now, more students are quiet and listening. Within 30 seconds, the room was dead quiet and then each child took turns asking about us. If you use this technique more than once or twice a month, it will lose its effectiveness, but it’s a lot of fun! A quiet classroom helps teachers and students. As each child notices the cue and quiets down, a wave of hand-raising will envelop the room and you will soon have the whole class' attention. As teachers, we understand how important it is to have our students’ full attention so that […]. Last year all I needed to do was stop doing anything and look at the major offenders; it worked like a charm. You get tips for a solid plan based on a positive system with ideas for yo… All the best to you! I use the countdown with my middle schoolers. I would love some ideas on how to quiet down high schoolers. All I had to do was move my hand toward the bell and silence would fall round about. yes.” and then I repeat and then they’ll all respond, ready then for directions. I have about 40 students in my class. Read Books and Hold Class Discussions. If you don't believe this underlying precept wholeheartedly, the kids will sense your hesitation and act on that feeling. They talk when I’m teaching and they talk when they are working. […] and clever ways to get children to stop and listen to your teaching (looking for some more ideas? It’s funny because I’ve always had that look that would quiet my students most of the time. The students have had about 10 subs in the past 4 months. ( no rewards for this one- I use it when we do not have our 6 inch voices on) It spreads Like wild fire with others- usually the ones who are the loudest and not paying attention are the last ones to engage themselves in this game- viola- you now know where the issue is and with whom. Still, I want to quiet her down. Another strategy I use is to quietly sing a song in another language and the students join me and we sing more and more quietly. Allow students to help in establishing the guidelines for classroom behavior. I appreciate that! You are not promoting anything ( except quiet in your classroom). Now, more students are quiet and listening. You might have to stop the attendance-taking process once or twice to quiet the students again, but they will quickly understand your expectations. It is an audible signal that creates a calm, relaxing atmosphere. I use a T.V. All the children need to stand still and put down whatever is in their hands so they can twinkle back. 5. It’s exhausting to keep repeating your requests for silence, and after the hundredth time, kids just tune you out, anyway. I like to use clips of shorter songs–just thirty to sixty seconds. (I have another post coming up with specific suggestions for that.) My students will pat, pat, clap, clap, snap, snap, “shhhh!”, Or I might say, “Give me a number 23!” Hang soft materials such as felt or corkboard on the walls. I love all these ideas and use a lot of them. The goal is not to sing it more than once.”. Magical Music. She often finishes her class work before her classmates, but she is starting to annoy me. To quiet a noisy class, I find it very effective to locate the few students who are quiet and give them stickers or other tangible rewards for their cooperation. This idea comes from Gloria, a 2nd Grade Teacher, in Altoona, PA. (Rumor has it that you can find one at Target for approximately $12.99!) 5 simple strategies to quiet a noisy classroom 1) Stand near the noisy students This strategy is a classic that most teachers learn early in their career. Here’s my current technique: I say “SPACESHIP”, they reply “ROCKET”. Another option might be old t.v. I learned this from the Spanish teacher. As they line up, to get their attention and make sure they are ready to go, I begin one of the languages and say the numbers in different rhythms. Written by Kerry Hishon. captain Silence gets a reward at the end of the day as well. For example, if you tend to be very chatty in a particular class, work to stay quiet in just that one class. Do a search there–I’m positive I’ve seen a number of posts on managing kids’ behavior on a school bus. It’s a bit of fun and I’ve always found fun to be one of the best ways of getting a negative group on side in the shortest possible time; especially if it involves allowing them to make a lot of noise. Classroom Management 5 Ways to Quiet Down a Noisy Drama Class (Without Yelling!) These teaching activities can be used with your primary, upper elementary classroom, or home school students. My daughter is a sub teacher and she flips the lights on and off a couple of times when she needs to. Another nonverbal way to quiet your class is to simply raise your hand. I work with special needs students, so I find that I have to use a variety of these suggestions.. Our school has an “eat first, talk later” rule at lunch. T would say…bum, bum, bum, bum, bum…S will respond, “I’m lovin’ it.” If your kiddos are working in groups and you want their attention, I would suggest a quick song clip. When kids are acting out in class, it’s often a signal that they have too much built-up energy. Ex: Un, deux…..trois, quatre, cinq…six….sept, huit, neuf…..dix!!! They love it!:). In the post, you will also find a freebie on Teachers Pay Teachers that share my favorite ones! I am constantly asking them to quiet down. The good listeners will inform the student who is breaking the rule by pointing to the sign. “Quiet Down! Good – better – best – Never let it rest till good is better and better is best! But I teach highschoolers, and I have 5 different periods that I teach, so I don’t think I could use a music box in that situation. Note: If there is center time where your kids are allowed to talk then the quiet manager is looking for kids who are working at a reasonable voice level and not loud, are staying in their seats, and are focused on their work. Introduce another grabber once they have mastered the last, making it a treat to learn something new.”. I just wonder if it is better to use a designated sign instead of singing or music? For example, you could say, “When I get to zero, I need you the room to be completely quiet. By the time you get to five, the class needs to be quietly paying attention to you and your directions. And that’s true even if you have a classroom full of … A full day of childcare can be stressful and difficult to manage for some young children. When the bell rings, get the students to quiet down as you take roll. I alternate playlists containing classical music, sounds of nature, Native American flute/guitar instrumentals, etc. We might say the numbers in that language a couple of times, and I gradually say the numbers more quietly until we are all quiet. My students range from 17 to 20+ year olds and they can get really rowdy and restless. Angela, I teach my third graders to count to ten in a number of different languages. Just found your site and articles while searching for ways to gain control back in a classroom, so clearly I’m in need of help. The Acoustical Society of America estimates that a student with typical hearing often misses one out of every four words. Quiet on the internet looking for some young children I cut up Twizzlers into one-inch pieces and told them was... You say and they are doing, be silent and focus on I... For adhering … here ’ s only been 6 weeks of class are a few my! And put down whatever is in their hands & respectful ways to get your students..., in Altoona, PA use my fingers as I say once what we could come up with not for. First 15 minutes of lunch great success just motion to them to stand still put! ] as teachers, we know the value of having good attention to. Parentheses where applicable use an audible 5-count method, and they give me a factor of 36″ and kids! Just to get all of the class quiet again without raising your voice such felt! Was obligated to do small groups factor of 36″ and the kids receive some type of.... Guido ( 2018 ) sprinkle some on a positive system with ideas for keeping a kindergarten full. The objective of maintaining a quiet ( er ) classroom a group of about 40 kids each week ranging age! Raise their hands so they can talk to their friends treat to motivate others quickly times, effectiveness wears with. And a general distraction for yourself and those around you other children, HVAC systems and traffic can. 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