How to balance classroom control with letting students talk
Teachers often struggle to find a middle ground between keeping a room quiet for independent work and letting students collaborate without looking out of control to administrators. Fear of appearing to lack classroom management makes it difficult to allow natural chatter, especially with energetic classes.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1calling students' names to quiet them down during independent workDid this help you?
- 2mixing lectures with independent work and allowing level one talking during creative projectsDid this help you?
- 3Asking for general strategies from peers onlineDid this help you?
- 4Making multiple seating chartsDid this help you?
- 5Calling parentsDid this help you?
- 6Writing students upDid this help you?
- 7Constantly redirecting studentsDid this help you?
- 8giving remindersDid this help you?
- 9practicing quieter speakingDid this help you?
- 10trying to create a bond and make students comfortableDid this help you?
- 11Handing out physical stop signs to signal disruptive behaviorDid this help you?
- 12Pausing and continuing without repeating instructions if students are not paying attentionDid this help you?
- 13Using non-verbal cues instead of raising the voiceDid this help you?
- 14Giving repeated reminders and warnings about taking away pointsDid this help you?
- 15Using attention getters like 1-2-3 eyes on meDid this help you?
- 16Splitting lessons so one half gathers for lecture while the other continues workDid this help you?
- 17Planning to send students to the front desk or call parentsDid this help you?
- 18Make students practice the routine repeatedly until expectations are met.Did this help you?
- 19Implement a silent cleanup challenge with rewards and penalties to encourage peer policing.Did this help you?
- 20Using positive reinforcement like giving complimenting notes or classroom tokens/stickersDid this help you?
- 21Using negative reinforcement like maintaining a checklist of names and setting escalating consequencesDid this help you?
- 22Discussing the disruptive behavior as a class and explaining how it impacts othersDid this help you?
- 23Applying the rule to not smile until ChristmasDid this help you?
- 24breaking them upDid this help you?
- 25assigning seating chartsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I teach fifth grade and I have a very chatty class between the two grades that I teach. I found myself stopping frequently to correct behavior or stop some talking”source ↗
“There is one first grade class that just shout everything they say.”source ↗
“No amount of reminders or practice will help the problem for more than a day.”source ↗
“My students won’t stop talking to me, I always listen to what they say cause I feel that every kid deserves to be listen”source ↗
“sometimes even when I’m explain the class, they keep talking, like a second I stop talking they start chatting”source ↗
“Have a class 16 boys and 8 girls. Very chatty and the boys like to push and touch each other when I’m not looking.”source ↗
“I teach eighth grade, and one of my classes during the middle of the day loves to talk. They are honestly a good group of kids, but won’t get the talking under control.”source ↗
“I have made multiple seating charts, called parents, and even written students up. None of that seems to be working.”source ↗
“I am tired of having to constantly redirect. Any suggestions for how to help rein them in?”source ↗
“I struggle to tell what a good balance is. I want them to be silent during independent work but what if that’s like all class period? Is that a normal ask?”source ↗
“I just worry what it looks like on the outside. They seem to enjoy the content, but I know they want to talk more. I don’t want my admin or other teachers to be like oh she doesn’t have control.”source ↗
“in the entire lecture (40 minutes + 10 minutes extra) they kept saying they wanted Ms. XYZ back and i couldn't teach a thing!”source ↗
“I have no prior teaching experience and I am quite literally the youngest person in the school (22 y/o) who also apparently looks like a kid (literally).”source ↗
“Someone was pissed at me, someone was standing on the chair, the birthday girl hated me because she wanted ms. xyz back - she wasnt even responding or looking at me, someone wanted ANOTHER teacher back let's say ms. abc. It was insane no energy strategies no attention grabbers worked.”source ↗
“How can I have them: 1) Clean up 2) Get their backpacks from their cubby hooks 3) Line up Without it getting so loud?”source ↗
“Three middle-school girls sitting together, which is of course ground zero for this. If I have to break them up I will, but what other methods have people found for stopping this?”source ↗
“I teach a part time class so I am not seeing these kids every day-they are 1st-4th grade-and enjoy the class, but they are very loud.”source ↗
“They'll also start walking around sometimes and it gets overwhelming.”source ↗
“I don't have this problem with my other classes-any advice for keeping their noise levels in check?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 73What do you call students who copy or police classroom instructions?
- 4How to deal with strict school rules when you're naturally relaxed
- 5How to keep kids engaged during mandatory scripted lessons
- 3Why do walkie-talkies keep interrupting class all day?
- 5Why won't high school students participate in class discussions?
- 27How to stop classroom interruptions from photo and video documentation