Clapping for silence

[thechillandthedamp]

SLTs latest

We clap three times. The students clap back three times then fall silent.

Fucking get me out of here.

I'm always surprised by how effective counting backwards is with even the worst behaved students I work with (they're not that bad tho tbh) - I don't even have to threaten anything, I just start counting backwards from five or hold my hand up. It's quite interesting really - not sure what they think is going to happen if I get to one! That's at secondary too.
I think its also a pretty good way of getting secondary students to bring group discussion to a close.

Jesus. Can’t you just briskly say ‘quiet!’LOL

My PGCE second placement school tutor wrote in my reprot, "you asked for silence and you got it!!!"

I didn't realise it was unusual

I think teachers should be allowed to use their professional judgement as to how to get silence. I just stand in everyone's view and wait. (Folding arms and even glaring might be needed if, say, it's assembly (400 students rather than a class of 30).

Student teachers can of course be given some ideas about different strategies. My colleagues in practical subjects tend to use 5,4,3,2,1 (less for silence but to get students to pause in their task to hear further instructions).

It's ridiculous and patronising to think that students can respond only to one uniform instruction across the school; frankly, it's an idiotic senior leader who doesn't seem their students capable of understanding that Ms X does this whereas Mr. Y does that.

I love the clapping thing, it's very effective to get the class back listening (doesn't have to be loud, even when doing group work). I use it regularly in my class. I'd be unhappy if it was forced on us as a whole school though.

Our teachers used to clap at school for attention/stop group discussions. We didn’t have to clap back though (only in music when we did “The Rhythm Register”).

Mind you, most of them had the “I’m waiting” and eyebrow brilliantly. We could also have house points/merits removed immediately or be sent to stand in the corner so we didn’t push it...

I used to get drafted in to help at the local Cubs sometimes, and that was “pack, pack, pack” and/or a whistle.

‘Stinging hands’ this thread is hilarious. I use counting backwards, name on board, eyebrow and the final comment ‘if you are still talking you are being rude!’. Secondary. They’d wet themselves at clapping!

Tbf I teach primary, I can't imagine using the clapping at secondary. Works great for primary though.

When I was at school, you wouldn''t have dreamed of talking when the teacher came in to take class, and you stood up!

Oh, don't put names on board! Happy hand clappy Paul Dix loathes and detests names on the board !

Oh yes - names on board is bad. Tells the whole world that you’re naughty and that ruins lives.

... and my whiteboard, because once you write something on there it never rubs off. The date of an exam three years ago is still on there.

It's ok for primary but secondary???? Just -why???? !!!!! When I was at school one deputy heads heels heard walking down the corridor would put fear into us and there would be complete silence!

I'm not sure this would work as well in secondary but I do sometimes burst into song to get children in the foundation stage and ks 1 quiet - open, shut them, open, shut them, give a little tap etc...

Works really well for FS2 and KS1.

They do this at dd's school. It's really effective and the kids seem to like doing it.

I've done this for the last 10 years. My friend asked me to do it at her kid's birthday party when things got a bit out of control- it worked and I was in charge 😀

names on board is bad.

Names not on the board leads to arguments about whether little Johnny was on his first or second warning, and ‘you never tell anyone else off’ (tired gesture to the board).

Piggywaspushed

You may not like Paul Dix but (IMO) he does have a point with "names on board" especially if you have a class that treats it like a top ten ranking of cool kids.

If kids don’t want their name on the board they can avoid it by not arsing around?

boney, as it goes I have never used names on the board and don't personally advocate it. However, in classical Dixian style, he requires us to write the names of everyone else on the board instead... I am sure the naughty ones can gain equal kudos by not being there!

I am sure the naughty ones can gain equal kudos by not being there!

Surely that depends on the mentality of the naughty ones.

Most of the naughty ones where I have taught see it as a target to get on the board, but then these are the ones that when referred try to argue about what they have done and take an age to go and most of the time someone has to fetch them.

write the names of everyone else on the board instead

Eh? When? At the end of the lesson seems pointless and if at the start, do you rub people’s names off when they dick around? Rubbing names off seems worse than putting them up!

You'd have to read the book. You write the name on when students are being good (not a word he uses but can't recall it) during the lesson. There was no mention of what happens if that student then transgresses, because in the Dixian universe they simple wouldn't.

I've been told a new one.
Get children to write their own name on the board if they're misbehaving, plus one 'tick'. If they get to three ticks (I assume it's me doing the next ticks) they miss their playtime.
Think it would work?
I have some who'd rather stay in anyway. .

That’s basically our school behaviour management policy, name on board is a warning, one tick is a demerit, 2 is a detention. Thought that was fairly standard, didn’t realise it was contentious! We can put names on the board for house points too.