How to Redirect Chatting Students

June 28th, 2010 By: Diane Trim in Articles, Teachers' Corner

I remember as a new teacher I had trouble with what I perceived as the whole class talking. Sure, this was the problem – at the end of September. The talkers had taken over to the point where I felt like I had to hold the entire class after the bell – never a good idea.

However, if I could have looked back at the beginning of the school year, I could have picked out the major talkers. But, I was new. I didn’t know that to stop the problem of the whole class talking, I had to redirect those big talkers right away.

This post is about redirecting talkers at the beginning of the school year – before talking turns into a wildfire that the teacher can’t control. Next week’s post will be about how to douse talking that has spread and become a natural disaster.

1. Identify the talkers. You will have them; every class has them. The good news is that, like most people, their behavior patterns are set and they seldom change those patterns. If you’re watching, your talkers will identify themselves. Sure, their behavior is disruptive, but at least they’re predictable. Watch for them.
2. Circulate. Teaching from the front of the classroom is a lousy idea, so the sooner you cut your ties to the front of the room, the better off you’ll be. Make sure your desks are arranged in a manner so that you can walk to any student’s side at any time. Start feeling comfortable with lecturing from any point in the room. While you talk, read from the text, or lead a whole-class discussion, monitor your students. When one of your students talks to her neighbor, stroll over to her desk and lead the discussion from there until she’s back on track. Then stroll away. Locate your talking hotspots and visit those areas often.

Circulating brings the added benefit of being able to help all students, no matter how shy they are. Some kids will never raise their hands to ask a question or approach the teacher’s desk during work time. Rather than admit they don’t understand, they’ll sit in their desks and be frustrated. You can watch for signs of confusion or frustration and stop by that student’s desk to offer assistance.

3. Mention students’ names. If you’re talking to the whole class, an effective way to keep student attention and prevent talking is to just mention their names as if you’re having a private conversation with them. It feels weird the first time you do it, but if you’re circulating, it’s easier. As you wander around the room, mention the student’s name as you pass her desk. Make eye contact with these kids, too. Here’s how it would sound:

So, Jayne, it really doesn’t matter if Shakespeare wrote the plays or if it was Edward DeVere. It’s good writing no matter who penned it, Shaun.

Of course, you can mention a kid who isn’t right next to you, just to keep them all on their toes, too.

4. Redirection. Most of the time your presence is enough to quiet talkers, but not always. Assume that your talkative student is asking a question of her neighbor so that she can get back on track. You can tell if she’s talking about the assignment or her weekend plans from her volume – weekend plans are usually loud; classroom assignments are usually sotto voce. However, give her the benefit of the doubt.

If you can have a quiet word with your student without breaking the flow of the class, do so. You can turn the pages of her textbook so she’ll be able to follow along. You can put your finger on the passage the class is on. You can offer her a pencil or piece of recycled paper. You can bring her a textbook from the shelf along with the check-out sheet. None of these will disrupt class.

However, if this is your third trip to her desk, you might need to have a quiet word with her. Station yourself next to her desk and give the class something to do while you redirect Chatty Cathy. You could ask Matt to continue reading aloud to the bottom of page 52. You could ask the class a question, tell them you’ll give them a minute to think, and then ask them to write their response on the exit slip for the day.

Bend your knees and get on the same level as your chatting student so you’re eye-to-eye with her. Ask her in a low voice that only the two of you can hear if she needs something or if there’s a problem you can help her with. Again, give her the benefit of the doubt. Communicate to her your faith that she wants to succeed and be a good class member. Does she need extra help? Is she confused about the task? It’s like a used car salesman: what can I do to get you in this car/lesson/assignment today?

If you have to make yet another trip to her desk, keep the class busy, bend your knees, and explain that her talking makes it difficult for you to teach and others to learn. Ask her how she plans to solve the problem.  Let her know you’re disappointed in her behavior and that you’re sure her parents will be disappointed, too. Express your belief in her that she wants to learn and that you’re confident the two of you won’t have to make a phone call to Mom at work at the end of the class. Remember, keep your voice low. You’re at the disappointment stage, not the rage stage.

5. Praise.  After you’ve visited a talking student and redirected her behavior or had a quiet conversation, watch her. Try very hard to catch her doing something right. I don’t care if it’s just turning the page in the textbook, that kid is now following along. Wander over to her desk, make eye contact and give her a smile and a nod. If you can, whisper a nice job or a thank you. Once you’ve established that you want to catch these kids doing something good, they’ll try to make eye contact with you. You can give her a thumbs-up from across the classroom or a nod.

Make a note of her positive behavior and include it in your electronic grade book as a note for the day. Write something like: “Cathy followed along in the textbook during class.” It’s small, but Mom and Dad are used to hearing, “Cathy disrupted class.” They’ll like seeing “Cathy participated well” on a grade sheet.
If Cathy’s been difficult to redirect, but you’ve caught her doing something good, hold her after class and have her dial Mom at work. Mom will be thrilled to hear that Cathy had a good participation day in class, trust me. That’s 90-seconds well spent. You’ll have Mom’s support if you ever have a negative phone call to make and Cathy will think you’re on her side, too. Again, make a note of the call in your electronic grade book. That’s a call that will pay huge dividends with principals and guidance counselors, too.

6. Change seats. Sometimes Chatty Cathy just can’t control herself. The temptation of having her best friend or soon-to-be boyfriend next to her is just too much. You have two options: change Cathy’s seat or change the tempter’s seat. My first reaction is to move the non-talker.  Moving the kid who isn’t talking is less likely to provoke the talker into protesting her innocence to the entire class. Usually the non-talker is relieved to move, too. Then she doesn’t have to feel rude about pretending she can’t hear Cathy.

Cathy might be a hard-core talker, though. You could move a plant next to her and she’d talk to it. Cathy needs to be as close to front-and-center of the classroom as you can get her. If you can put her near your desk, that’s a great option, too.  Do it quietly, though.  Change her seat near the end of class, if you can manage it. She’ll have less time to complain to anyone who will listen about how you’ve singled her out.

7. Harness the power of the wind. Cathy’s strength might be talking. She might be a really good kid, but she needs to talk to learn. Again, assume your student wants to succeed and set her up for it.

Since you’re circulating around your classroom, it’s pretty tough to run your Smart Board when you’re nowhere near it. You’ve moved Cathy up front, though, so she can work the controls and even write on the board. Cathy can be your designated writer. It’s a challenge for her to talk to another student when she’s at the front of the class, but she still might need to talk. You can ask her for feedback while she writes. For example, you can ask her, “Cathy, how do you feel about the idea that Shakespeare might not have written the plays? Does it bother you?”

You might also ask a question of a class member and then get Cathy’s reaction to it. If she says something rotten, say I’m surprised to hear you say that, Cathy and wait for her to realize she was inappropriate and correct herself.  Offer her public praise. If she resists the self-correction, ask another student in the class: How would you have worded Cathy’s criticism?

Of course, these methods aren’t foolproof, but they’ll take you pretty far with individual talkers, before the talking situation gets out of hand.

Do you have any methods for redirecting your big talkers? Share them in the comments so we can all learn!

Tags: behavior, Classroom Management, off-task behavior, parents, phone calls, redirect, talking