Are you looking for hacks for teaching students not to disturb others? If so, keep reading.
1. Get the learner to practice waiting for short periods for a turn to speak. As the learner shows success, slowly increase the duration of time required for a turn to speak.
2. Take the learner away from the learning experience until they can demonstrate appropriate behavior and self-control.
3. Ask the learner a question when they are most likely to be able to respond correctly.
4. Urge the learner to remind himself/herself to wait when they feel the need to interrupt (e.g., “Stop. Count to 10.”).
5. Teach appropriate social rituals (e.g., say, “Excuse me,” before interrupting; wait until someone stops speaking to begin talking, etc.).
6. Provide directions, explanations, and instructions in a clear, concise manner to lessen the learner’s need to ask questions.
7. Train the learner on how to interrupt for an emergency. Make sure they do it in a way that conveys the urgency (e.g., “I’m sorry for interrupting.” “May I stop you for a minute?” etc.).
8. Show the learner why it is unacceptable to interrupt the teacher (e.g., impolite, unfair to other students, others cannot hear what the teacher is saying, etc.).
9. Get the learner to make a list of consequences associated with regularly occurring behaviors (e.g., by disrupting others, I will be perceived as unmannerly; by behaving aggressively, I will cause people to avoid me.).
10. Make sure that reinforcement is not provided for unacceptable behavior(e.g., the teacher responds to the learner after they have interrupted).
11. Make sure that you do not interrupt others. If you interrupt others, the learner will continue to do so.
12. Recognize the learner’s presence and/or need to talk with you (e.g., by saying, “Just a minute”; putting your arm around the learner; smiling and nodding your head; etc.).
13. Create rules for conversing with others (e.g., wait for your turn to talk, stand quietly by the person with whom you want to talk until you are noticed, excuse yourself when you interrupt others, etc.). These rules should be consistent and followed by everyone in the class. Talk about the rules often.
14. Give the learner a predetermined signal if they begin to interrupt.
15. Praise the learner for raising their hand to be recognized.
16. Get the learner to find the situations in which they are most likely to interrupt. After they have identified these situations, have them think of ways to minimize their occurrences.
17. Assist the learner in improving concentration skills (e.g., listening to the speaker, taking notes, preparing remarks in advance, making remarks in an appropriate context, etc.).
18. Be firm, fair, and consistent, expecting the learner to behave properly during class lectures. Do not let the learner interrupt one time and expect them not to interrupt the next time.
19. Draft an agreement with the learner stipulating what behavior is required (e.g., waiting for a turn to speak) and what reinforcement will be made available when the terms of the agreement have been met.
20. Always treat the learner with the utmost respect. Talk objectively at all times.
21. Consider using a classroom management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
22. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
23. Consider using Alexa to help the student learn to behave appropriately. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.
24. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.
