Techniques to Quiet Down a Noisy Class

“Keep quiet!” and “No talking!” more often than not are just a musings of a madman in class. For keeping a classroom quiet, one needs to be respectful, tactful and creative. So, here are 11 ways by which you can quiet down a classroom.

1. Singing: However cliché and oxymoron this may appear to be, it is helpful. Singing alongside the class lets you control the flow in the classroom. Let them complete the song and then end it. This tricks the young students to keep quiet.
   
2. Sound signals: Using a sound that causes irritation to the students is a very tactful act. The irritable punishment is not corporal and causes self-realization among students about the value of silence.
   
3. Call and responses: To get the kids moving, call-and-responses is very efficient. For more effectiveness, CAP requiring physical responses are helpful. Phrases like “zip it” and along with the hand movement of zipping one's lips, or lock it, using two-finger-pointer towards your own eyes and then the students work amazingly.
   
4. Countdown: A teacher could say “By the count till zero, you get completely quiet! 10,9,8,7,…..!”. After the countdown, start the task as you planned. Through practice, the stragglers among the class will have to acknowledge it, and then see the serenity in the class to follow.
   
5. Quiet Sprinkles: For teachers with a dramatic flair, decorating a box labeled “quiet sprinkles” filled with imaginary glitter gets a kid’s attention. When peace is required, just sprinkle this imaginary glitter on their heads and they freeze in silence.  
6. Be Sneaky : Talking softly to a particular group of students entices others to heed to it quietly. Hence, peace in class accomplished.
   
7. Sign languages: Students can be really tiring. To relieve your vocals from stress, sign languages are useful. Indicating signs for standing up and sitting down and then have the students mimicking it is helpful. 
8. Hand signals: The countdown method discussed can be implemented in a more coherent fashion using hand signals. Using one hand and the 5-finger-countdown technique is functional and fruitful.
   
9. Getting playful: Phrases purposefully called attention-getters can quiet down a class. These are always playful and attract the students. For example, “jazz hands” or “Autobots unite” are the most functional ones. 
10. Concrete reminders: Youngsters can be trained to follow concrete reminders. Similar to signs, these are very efficient and strong indicators.
    
11. Alter teaching methodology: Variations in the method an educator implements keeps a class intrigued and attentive.