Noisy Class??
7 Ways to Quiet Them Down and Maintain Your Sanity!
I’ve spent a lot of time in teachers’ lounges talking with my colleagues, and time and time again, we ponder the question: "How do I keep my class quiet while I’m teaching?" Here’s a list of 7 things you can do TODAY to help quiet those chatty students.
Teach "I Need Quiet" Strategies
Make sure you have properly taught your “I need quiet” strategies. Whether it’s raising your hand, using a call-and-response, or ringing a doorbell, practice these strategies repeatedly. Do not stop practicing until you have achieved 100% quiet for 3–5 consecutive practice sessions. It might feel awkward, but it’s much better than dealing with a noisy class all year.
Lower Your Voice
As the students get louder, lower your voice. When I show my class that I am not bothered by their noisiness and just continue teaching in a whisper, their natural response is to quiet down.Be Weird!
Look down at your hands and whisper excitedly. Naturally, the students will stop and want to know what you’re doing. Once they quiet down, you can say, "Oh, okay, you guys weren’t listening, so I was teaching my friend in my hands." This will get their attention and a laugh.Embrace the Chatter
If your class is especially chatty after an exciting lesson or special event, set a timer for 3–5 minutes and let them know they can talk as much as they want until the timer goes off. Once the timer rings, you expect quiet, and you’ll continue with the lesson.Tech Solutions
Full disclosure—these are not my favorites, but they can be useful. You can try websites like bouncyballs.org or toonoisyapp.com, which provide visual cues on your smartboard when the noise level gets too high.Modified Simon Says
I use this one A LOT! When the class gets a bit too noisy, I say, “If you can hear me, touch your head,” “If you can hear me, touch your knees,” and so on. After 3–4 commands, my final instruction is, “If you can hear me, stop talking and show me whole body listening.”Countdown
A tried and true method for me is raising a stern hand in the air and giving a strong countdown from 5: "I want quiet in 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1." Ninety-five percent of the time, this works for me.
***Here’s an extra tip for all my fellow special education teachers: I use visual cues on each of my students' desks to help manage behavior without disrupting the lesson. When things start to get noisy, either I or my para can simply point to the "Stop and Think" circle on a student's desk to remind them to refocus. This simple strategy has significantly reduced unwanted noise in my classroom, creating a calmer and more focused learning environment for everyone!***
I hope these strategies help you! Let me know if you try them—I’d love to hear how they work!
