How much talking is too much talking?

[SS Rocks!]

For those of you teaching middle school, I was just wondering how much talking you see in your class during instruction?

I had the pleasure of observing one of the better social studies teachers in our county and her sixth grade students were dead silent during class. Later that day I observed another social studies teacher in another part of the county and noticed a fair amount of chatter in his class.

I have a little chatting that goes on from time to time which bothers me. We do a variety of activities in class so it's not like I'm standing in front of them lecturing for an hour straight. It's nothing overly disruptive and sometimes seems like it may be kids asking their neighbor questions about something we're doing in class. I have seen/heard other teachers in my school and it seems like the talking is going on in their classes too.

I wonder, am I being oversensitive? Is it just a sixth grade/middle school thing? Is it the culture of our school?

Thanks.

[seastarmath]

I think it depends on what the activity is. If we are in large group instruction, the kids have to be quiet and attend to what is going on. They have to follow the established protocols to participate or talk. If we are in small group activities, there has to be some talking for the task to get accomplished. This age group is social and if you can engage them in working together, they learn and retain more than if they work alone. (Though they DO need to be able to do that, too.) I think it is important to give them a variety of settings so they learn to adjust behavior to suit the situation.

[Brit]

When I was a "visiting teacher" in junior rooms, I personally judged the amount of chatter I put up with by the amount of chatter we as teachers generate in a meeting. If my class produces 1/10 of what happens in staff meetings, I figure the kids are doing pretty well. I know, I know, they're learning a skill, whereas we're blatantly flouting what we KNOW to be proper behaviour, but I mean, pot calling kettle, right?

Of course, it all has to do with wether the talkers are also actually learning, and if they're distracting you, that's just plain rude. But I think a certain amount of on-topic chatter shouldn't be a concern.

[CanukTeacher]

Honestly I don't think dead quiet is good. How can kids who are quiet and listening all the time actually learn? But I am working on integrating DI and cooperative learning (think Kagan) into my classroom. When my kids are working there are 2 rules - talking with your group (not other groups) and on-topic. The more I teach the more I seem to be able to help kids focus on the appropriate task. When I lecture (short bits) I want student engagement. Sometimes they get out of hand because 10 of them want to answer at once, but most of the time it is on topic. So talking is necessary as long as it is part of the learning (this is defiantely a skill that has to be taught - I'm still learning how to teach it as I move away from a more traditional class.

Canuk

[silvana]

Having spent a great deal of time as a literacy co ordinator I am now of the mind that though there is some place for silent working, learners should be able to discuss their work with teachers and peers. As assessment for learning moves to the forefront of education all the research in the most successful countries in the world show that constructive talk assists the learning....whatever the age of the learner.
The 21st century demands that learners are taught in a very different way from their older counterparts. Keys skills in communication will develop learners for jobs that have not yet been invented...such is the pace of the world we live in....Knowledge is now what determines an economy...the USA spends more on knowledge industries than manufacturing which means students must have skills which allow them to communicate knowledge at different levels to different audiences.
As a literacy co ordinator if I walk into a silent room I am thinking...whats going on here?

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http://mrscunningham.edublogs.org/

[wig]

I don't allow ANY talking during direct instruction (unless of course it is pertinent to what we are learning). If they talk I stop. If I stop, they are losing time they may have had to work on an assignment or activity which then may end up being homework. I do allow talking during during activities and even some during an assignment if it is not disruptive.

[mercygate]

I cut that down to zero when I started Power Teaching. :cool:

[CanukTeacher]

Silvana,

Well said! Differentiated Instruction all the way!

Christine

[lynn bambusch]

With the age group you're talking about, I think if the chatter is on topic it can really get them exciting and involved! Higher order thinking occurs and it is amazing to watch. You just have to make sure the conversations are on task and not gossip sessions, which this age is spends so much time doing.

[SS Rocks!]

Thanks for all the input. I was feeling a little inept after observing the teacher that had the kids dead silent in class. Many times when I say something to a student that's talking I get "I was asking a question about (insert question about lesson here)."

I rarely talk more than 10 minutes straight and typically when I am talking I'm keeping them engaged by posing questions as we progress.

I'm thankful my students are better than Brit's 1/10 rule. Many of our staff members are incredibly rude at our faculty meetings and professional development opportunities.

mercygate, I wanted to try Power Teaching so bad this year but our school doesn't have permanent walls yet (we have partitions). I already irritate my team members with the noise we make as a class.

[CanukTeacher]

SS Rocks - take a look at the Kagan cooperative model (or any cooperative model for that matter). If you have kids working in real cooperative groups (rather than just group work) you won't get the "I was asking...." because you will be so ontop of what the groups are talking about that you will know if they are on topic or not :)

[David]

It all comes down to individual teacher preferences or how much talking you are willing to tolerate. I expect when I am explaining an aspect of work or another child is talking that everyone else will be listening. Listening seems to be a skill that is slowly disappearing and yet it is such and essential skill. If the children are doing their own work i expect them to concentrate on it and not to disturb other children who are trying to complete their work. My rule of thumb is, is the talking disrupting anyone's learning? If the answer is yes then the talking has to stop.