We all have those few chatty students who NEVER. STOP. TALKING. No matter how many consequences we try or rewards we give, they’re constantly talking or blurting out. They interrupt us so many times that we can’t get through a single lesson without getting frustrated at how much instructional time we’re losing.
Do you ever wish there was a simple way to get these chatty students to stop talking while you’re teaching? These 3 teacher-tested classroom management strategies will help you end the constant talking so you can stop feeling like a broken record, save your sanity, and finally have more time to teach.
1. Explicitly teach your students how to listen
We’re always telling our kids to listen or pay attention, but do they REALLY know how to do that? If we don’t teach our students exactly what it means to listen or raise their hand, we can’t expect them to meet our standards. It’s important that we break down our expectations into steps so our kids know the exact behavior that we want to see. Review these steps before every lesson, and if your students start talking, stop your lesson and review them again. Have your students show you what each step looks like and sounds like before you resume your lesson. Doing this might take a few extra minutes at first, but you’ll wind up gaining tons of instructional time in the end. Remember that saying, “practice makes perfect?” Well, your kids may not be perfect, but it will get better every time!
2. Reinforce expected behavior
When your students ARE listening, it’s important to reinforce their behavior. Choose a system of reinforcement that works for you (verbal praise, a classroom ticket, a nonverbal signal, etc.) and be consistent. If you ignore your students when they’re engaging in the expected behavior and only redirect students when they’re talking, they’ll continue searching for feedback from you. (PS- reinforcement does NOT have to be in the form of rewards!)
3. Have consistent responses to interruptions
When students are talking while you’re teaching, choose one way to respond, and stick to it. By being consistent, you send your kids the message that this is the response they’ll receive from you every single time. They’ll learn quickly that blurting out or talking to their friends during lessons won’t get them the results that they want, and they will be less likely to engage in the behavior next time. On the other hand, if you respond differently each time, your kids will learn that there’s a chance or engagement from you and are less likely to stop the behavior.
Want to learn more?
Getting your students to stop talking while you’re teaching takes some time, but it can be done! By explicitly teaching your students how to listen, reinforcing their behavior when they do, and responding consistently when they don’t, you’ll have more time, feel less frustrated, and be confident that all of your students are actually learning.
Want to learn how I apply these steps to my own classroom? I’ll teach you exactly how to teach, reinforce, and respond to students who are always talking in this mini training. Click here to stop the constant chatter now!
