You are not alone! This question is heard from teachers all over the country. Many are wondering. Others are crying. It is true that most students cannot listen when they are talking. Teachers cannot teach when children continuously talk. SO, lets take a look at why this is happening, more and more since the pandemic.
Nurture-Nature-New Thinking
The answer is three-fold:
- Students have been encouraged to talk to parents since birth. They are hard-wired to express themselves. (Nurture) This is a good thing! It sets the stage for learning.
- Students have a natural drive to connect. (Nature) Talking is the easiest way. Would you rather they pushed?
- Primary students think out loud. When and if you silence them, for the sake of quiet, learning stops. And that’s not what anyone wants.
It is important to understand that talking is an extension of thought. Kids react to stimulation with talk. It no one’s fault! This thinking will put you on the path to using your students’ superpower (talking) to turn your classroom into a place of healthy, happy learning.
What Can Teachers Do?
“”So WHAT do I do?” you might be thinking. Well, that’s the good news! Since we know the reason for talking, we can work to even things out. It’s a process that you can move your kids through. There are steps you can take that will take them closer every day to listen to you and take in your message. They will be able to engage in conversations, waiting their turn to speak. However, it’s a process, not a one step fix:
- Help students understand which times are to talk, and which to listen.
- Teach students to wait their turn to talk.
- Help students talk about the topic at hand.
- Help students to add on to other people’s comment.
Signal Time to talk, Time to listen
Think of talking like water in a pipe. It will continue streaming unless some force is applied to stop it. You need to decide on a signal:
- a stoplight or light system
- a sign system that you flip
- a hat system teacher wears
Spend the time you need to train your class to use the signs. You will need incentives. Start with short bursts of listen time, minutes at a time. Work up to 15 minutes of quiet as you continue your schedule. This could take a couple of weeks. Do not chastise, only reward when appropriate. Keep tweaking the system until it works. Note: There must be enough time in your schedule for talking, or this will not work. You are redirecting the water, not stopping it.
Wait Your Turn to Talk
For this too, you will need a visual signal. Pair your kids up. Designate “1’s” and “2’s” or “Reds” & “Blues”, whichever you prefer. Teacher asks question then gives signal for 1’s. Let them talk for a minute, then switch group, same question. Many primary teachers use a chip, stuffed animal, or object that sits in front of the talker during their turn.
Give your kids time to talk, or outlet every time you introduce a new concept. It does not have to be long, just 3-5 minutes total. Most kids need to say and hear a concept 800 times before it transfers to long term memory. Teachers sure don’t have time to repeat something 800 times! The kids are helping teach each other! The goal is NOT to have students be quiet. When you forbid all talking in your primary classroom, you forbid all learning.
Topic Maintenance in Discussions
This is another tricky concept for young students. They often just talk about what they are thinking. Topic maintenance is easier with visuals. These remind the kids what they are talking about. Photos are perfect for this, especially early on in the year.
You will need a mini lesson to model how to judge what is off topic are key. Let the students role play really off topic comments. Write words to keep track of topic. Model what to do when the discussion strays and keeping respect and responsibility in mind. In the photo, the girls are talking about continents. The globe helps them stick to the topic.
Adding on to Other Student's Comments
This objective is in many primary curriculums across the content areas. However, I think it is the most difficult, In first grade, I started modeling this in whole-group discussion. We made a basic bubble anchor chart.
We started with a broad topic of Citizenship. For input, I showed the class an introductory powerpoint presentation. I had volunteers give me the subtopics. That way, everyone was adding on to what they said. First, I wrote student thoughts in the right bubble. Then, if anyone connected with a previous thought, I added a magnet dot, so they could see the connection. I have a whole other post about how to do the hand-off with this activity. If you want to read more about this, go here.
