Are you looking for ways to encourage students not to talk during quiet time? If so, keep reading.
1. Make the appropriate adjustments in their surroundings to prevent the student from experiencing stress, frustration, and anger.
2. Talk regularly with the student to lessen the need for them to talk to other students.
3. Provide visibility to and from the student to keep their attention when oral questions/instructions are being delivered. The teacher and the student should be able to see each other at all times. Make eye contact possible at all times.
4. Assess the appropriateness of the social situation concerning the student’s capacity and ability to function successfully.
5. Attempt several groupings to ascertain the situation in which the student is most comfortable.
6. Praise the student for raising their hand to be recognized.
7. Ask the student a question when they are most likely to be able to respond correctly (e.g., when discussing something in which the student is interested, when the teacher is sure they know the answer, etc.).
8. Teach the student to recognize when to speak, to know how much to say, and to make appropriate remarks (e.g., brief remarks, remarks within the context of the situation, remarks that are a follow-up to what has just been said, etc.).
9. Get the student to work in small groups in which they would have frequent chances to speak. As the student learns to wait longer for their turn to speak, slowly increase the size of the group.
10. Make sure that the student’s feelings are considered when it is appropriate to deal with their talking to other students (i.e., handle remarks in such a way as to not diminish the student’s enthusiasm for participation).
11. Urge the student to model the behavior of peers who are successful at not talking to others during quiet activity periods.
12. Assist the student in improving concentration skills (e.g., listening to the speaker, taking notes, preparing remarks in advance, making remarks in an appropriate context, etc.).
13. Get the student to question any directions, explanations, or instructions they do not understand prior to asking other students for information.
14. Provide directions, explanations, and instructions in a clear, concise manner to lessen the student’s need to ask other students for information.
15. Provide a predetermined signal (e.g., hand signal, oral signal, etc.) if the student talks to others during quiet activity periods.
16. After telling the student why they should not be talking, explain the reason.
17. Do not provide too much free time for the student.
18. Consider using a classroom management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
19. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
20. Consider using Alexa to help the student learn to behave appropriately. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.
21. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.
