Teachers are tasked not only with teaching academic skills to their students, but also with managing the challenging behaviors that students exhibit in the classroom. This is a difficult job, and one that many teachers struggle with. This three part blog series on Classroom Management Techniques will provide teachers with three interventions they can add to their bag of tricks to help stop classroom disruptions before they start!

In Classroom Management Simplified, Elizabeth Breaux discusses how the word "quiet" can be vague, and how teachers can concretely tell their students the volume level they expect in the classroom.

What does quiet really mean? No talking? Some talking allowed? Talking in a low tone of voice? Talking only until the teacher has had enough? If it means different things to different teachers, how are the students to know what’s expected from class to class? Here is a technique that will allow your students to always know what level of quiet they are expected to maintain using a traffic light! You can even use red, yellow, and green posters. Whatever you use as the signal, the rules of the game are the same.

How to Teach It

Tell the students that “signals” will be used to specify allowable levels of talking in the classroom. Each signal has its own specific set of rules. The rules are as follows (post them for all to see): Red signal: STOP! No talking allowed. Students may talk only to the teacher and must raise their hands to get the teacher’s attention. Yellow signal: CAUTION! Limited talking only. Students may be working in groups and may talk only to their own group members. They may raise their hands to speak to the teacher at any time. Green signal: GO! Students are allowed to talk freely to others, but using low tones of voice. Movement around the classroom may be allowed, but with specified restrictions. Some activities require using the green light, but don’t forget to practice exactly what is allowed when the green light is on.

Discuss each signal and exactly what is acceptable for it. You may add your own restrictions or rules to fit the needs of your class.

How to Practice It

Tell the students that you now will practice using the different signals. This will give you all the opportunity to iron out any potential problems.

Begin by placing the students in groups. Explain that usually when they are in groups, they will be talking to other group members, but there will be times when talking to one another is not an option. Remind them that there will be times when it will be necessary to share what they are doing with other groups. All these situations require that a different signal be used. Now let’s try it.

Give the students a group assignment in which they need to collaborate as a group. Turn on the yellow light! Allow them to complete the assignment. Remind them that they may not converse with other groups when the yellow light is on.

Now turn on the red light and have them read the next passage silently. Remind them that they are not to talk once they have finished reading the passage, as others may still be reading.

Now turn on the yellow light again. Tell them to read the next passage together and formulate some questions of their own from the passages read so far. Tell them to answer and discuss the questions with their own group members.

Are you ready for this? Turn on the green light! Tell them that you want them to walk around and share their questions with other groups. If one group has asked a question that another has not, that question should be copied onto the latter group’s page. Tell the students that you will give them five minutes to complete this task, at which time the red light will be turned on, signaling that all talking must cease and all students must return to their groups.

Once this practice session has ended, discuss it with your students. If you have any concerns, share them now. Tell the students that from now on, when they walk into the classroom, they should look for the signal.

How to Implement It

Once this practice session has ended, discuss it with your students. If you have any concerns, share them now. Tell the students that from now on, when they walk into the classroom, they should look for the signal.

As is likely to happen on most days (and should happen on most days), the red signal will be on as students enter the room. This will allow for bellwork to commence and/or for the teacher to share the objectives, activities, procedures, and so on, for the day.

Remember to be consistent. Insist that the students adhere to the rules that are dictated by the signals. Don’t deviate from those rules. If you do, your signals will become meaningless. It’s up to you. Now turn on that green light and “go.”