How do you get your class to quieten down?

[LauraPashley]

I teach mainly year 2 and am fed up saying "1 2 3 eyes on me"
Or clapping my hands! Both work but are getting boring - looking for some different ideas?
And yes I am aware it's saturday night , sorry!!

We've been discussing this at work recently
I manage a nursery and have realised that since I stopped working directly with the children its all gone a bit peat shaped when it comes to controlling the room.
Observing my staff I've realised they don't all have the strategies to control the rowdy mob
Its definitely a skill that is essential to keep calm and order
I love the fox idea
I think its important that we have the same strategy in the setting so the children know exactly what is expected of them

I had a supply teacher use a whistle in my class once. My face went like when he told me. He assumed that because it was on my desk, that's how we get quiet. (It was on my desk because I teach PE...outside.)
Lots of teachers in my school clap and the children clap back. Drives me bonkers, but that's just a personal thing. I usually just put my hand up and count down from five or three. We use the same method in whole-school assemblies and generally have quiet in about five seconds. Sometimes a simple "Right, I need you to listen for a minute. Pens down, looking at me, please." is enough. I teach Year 6.

I am secondary, but I just say 'ok, everyone' and wait for a few seconds before carrying on. I have a voice like a foghorn though

I wanna try the fox at Glastonbury..
yours,
Bono

The fox definitely needs to go to Glastonbury!

Anyone who tries the fox please report back to this thread on Monday.

Insancerre - I use my bell in nursery if I need to get everyone's attention at once when they are playing and talking. If we are in key groups or small groups and it's getting a bit chatty then we use the fox.

I use a tambourine which works well. I also get them to copy my hand signals. Also works well.

In my first job I was told we weren't allowed to blow a whistle inside, even during pe so never tried that. I teach ks1

Feeling guilty now. I only threaten them with my PE whistle very very sparingly - maybe once or twice a term. And I actually blow it less than that. It's just that sometimes (wet play days, when the last lesson has over run so they have to get their coats quickly) they are soon loud at the end of the day they don't hear the bell or notice any of the other signals I use. So getting my whistle out and holding it in front of my mouth is my last resort to get them quiet so we can say goodbye and leave the classroom in an orderly fashion.

I have loads of songs to sing that they quickly join in with, or chants where they chant bits back to me (Boom Chicka Boom type ones), clapping patterns, counting down, timers on the IWB etc

Writing the names of people who are ready on the board who will later received some spurious reward usually works as well as they want to see their names up there too.

Not a teacher, but used to help out in Dd's school. They used 'show me five', holding their hand aloft. The children had to be quiet and hold their hand aloft too to show they were paying attention.

I will watch out for the fox at Glastonbury and join in!

I'm secondary, so it might not be relevant to primary, but I occasionally say 'everyone stand up'. Once they are all up, I tell them to sit and we carry on with the lesson. It gets the blood circulating a bit as well.

My first school used to do 'Show me 5'-I never found it was very effective as they can show you five, whilst continuing to colour in and chat under their breath! I prefer singing as they can't talk and sing at the same time!

I clap a rhythm which they clap back. In my head I say "shut-the-fuck-up-now" and usually remember not to mouth the words.....

I do that too, reallyneedmoresleep!

Feeling guilty now.
You don't need to feel guilty about it. Whatever works for you. Mine lose breaktime, if they don't respond quickly enough to me putting my hand up. If needed, though, I do have a very loud voice.
One of my friends uses "Boom Chicka Boom" and hers quite happily respond to that. Mine would stare at me and respond with: "Now she's lost it completely... Miss, really??" When I start singing, people run away screaming...

A teacher I worked with had a special hat he put on that meant 'silence', and I seem to recall another had a hat that meant she was not to be disturbed.

Shake of a tambourine

Secondary here, ok chaps listen up, year 10 you need to be quiet and listening, etc, no rocket science!

I stand at the front if the class looking at my watch ostentatiously, they know that this means however long it takes them to shush is time taken off their Golden Time.

thanks for all these ideas. i do guided reading and i have issues with behaviour from the kids and no guidance from the teacher

I count down "eyes on me and mouths closed in 3....2....1"

Also say (over the noise) "Ready to listen?" And they respond with "Ready to learn!"

Similarly... "Hocus Pocus"....."Everybody focus"

I also sometimes talk in French Just say "Chut! Tout le monde Tais-toi. Regardez moi". It's not even grammatically correct but the sound of a different language over the hubbub of English generally gets their attention.

I also sing "My lips are movin. And I am talking. So be quiet quiet quiet quiet" (to the tune of Megan Traynor) if anyone starts jabbering whilst I'm talking. My year 5's love it

I asked for quiet with my Y10 form this morning, to read out the form notices. 3 or 4 of them continued to chat so I asked them individually for quiet. They looked at me then continued to chat, so I sat down and carried on with my work - no form notices. Their regular teacher said to cut them some slack as it's the first day back.

I would love some ideas for secondary! We are not supposed to shout at the students in my school.

With my academic classes, I tend to wait (and wait and wait), or say something like (ok, pens down and all eyes forward please). Or "I'm perfectly happy to run this class into break if you prefer".

Their regular teacher said to cut them some slack as it's the first day back. Quite the opposite to my approach. I was really strict with my class yesterday. Year 6, one term to go at primary school. If given half a chance, they'd grab it and run with it for the rest of term...They are naturally very chatty.
I've mostly kept this up today, but it wasn't such hard work. They are a really good bunch and mostly beautifully behaved, but first days are difficult for them.
I tend to start them off with work they can do in silence. Once they have started, there's no reason for them to talk and they get a rather stern response from me, if they start chatting. "I have NOT asked you to speak. This is your warning." If it happens again, consequences follow. There's no talking, while I take the register and I get really annoyed, if I get interrupted by people being rude. "Don't be annoying. I'm really annoying when I get annoyed."

However, I do raise my voice. It doesn't happen very often, though. My class are lovely and it hasn't been necessary much.

My colleague taught me this for occasional use with year 7.

Silence in the courtyard
Silence in the street
The person who wants a lunchtime detention
Is just about to speak

He also likes to draw a big eye on a whiteboard and follow kids around with it (for off topic chatter).

I haven't tried 'the eye' but the verse works a treat!