Mission Impossible: A Quiet Classroom
Tuesday December 23, 2008
Is it possible to run a peaceful, relatively quiet classroom without raising your voice? I can't say I've perfected this hat trick 100% of the time, but I would like to share some tried-and-true nonverbal methods for maintaining a quiet classroom.
Nobody likes to yell or nag. What are your favorite tricks for getting your students to work quietly?
Comments
I teach 5th grade gifted, an age and grade level where talking can get out of hand quickly. Of course our #1 classroom rule is “Work during all work times.” To keep that going quietly, I use the old “Ask 3 before coming to me” during seat work. They are allowed to ask 3 others at their table about the directions or about the assignment. If that doesn’t solve their question, hen they can put their name on the board for assistance if I am working with someone else.
Another quiet strategy I use is to play quiet classical music in the background. If you can’t hear the music, you are too loud.
Hope this helps.
Karen Clark
Hobe Sound, FL
I’m a first grade teacher in a very large open pod classroom shared with two other classrooms. My latest trick is to say, “Give me me 5 in three or less.” That means–feet crossed, hands in lap, eyes on me, mouths closed, ears open–before I count to three. If I only get to one or two counts, then I do a quick quiet cheer or a jumping jack. My students love seeing the jumping jack!