Prevent problems from occurring by planning ahead. Attend training sessions provided through the school district before the school year begins to learn ideas and strategies for handling disruptive and inattentive behaviors in the classroom. A teacher is most effective when he is prepared for the unexpected.
Give the students some ownership of their behaviors by asking them for suggestions of consequences to be enforced when they engage in off-task behaviors. When the students have ownership of their own consequences they are more likely to avoid engaging in the disruptive behaviors. Offer a few examples of consequences such as no computer time or more homework when the class is not paying attention. As a class, determine if the consequences should be individually based or group based. This will allow the students to work as a team whenever one student is purposefully off-task.
Create a signal to regain attention such as clapping two times or holding a hand in the air. When the students are too loud and inattentive to the teacher’s instructions, the signal can be used to help the students regroup. All will be aware of the signal, so they will help each other out to regain the attention. Visual cues such as holding up a sign that says “Listen” or “Quiet” is also helpful in reducing the noise level in the classroom. The teacher can save her voice and wait patiently until the student’s attention is redirected back to her.