How to quiet noisy undergrads students during lecture

Question

I am teaching a class of about 100 undergraduates. The class meets for a three-hour block every week in a lecture hall which seats about 120. We have about 2-3 breaks every lecture, to give students time to buy food, go to the restroom, and also to work on some in-class problems which they have to submit after the lecture.

The problem that I am facing is that many of the students like to chit-chat even when I am talking. I find that this is distracting for the students who want to concentrate on what I am saying.

What are some techniques which I can apply to nicely tell the students to keep quiet?

Clarification: When it's time to work on the in-class problems, the students get 20 minutes to do so, and are free to talk as much as they like. The problem with the students being noisy is that they are noisy during the lecture when there are supposed to be quiet.

Answer 1

Call them out when you notice it. Stop what you're doing - single the chit-chatters out, and ask them if they have anything they'd like to say. If they have questions they should ask them so that the entire class can hear - that way everyone can learn. If they do have questions, remind them of whatever protocol you have for questions (raise a hand, hold questions for designated question breaks, etc).

Otherwise, make it clear that you won't tolerate chit-chat and, if they persist, simply remove them from the class. Make it clear that they are welcome to return to the next lecture on the condition that they keep quiet during the lecture. Be sure to be polite and cordial, of course, but don't waver on being firm.

It is not acceptable for a few noisy students to compromise the learning environment for everyone else. Just get them out of there. You probably won't have to do this more than once or twice before the rest figure out that you're serious. As a lecturer, you're the captain of the ship. Don't be afraid to be the captain - keeping order is your job. The quiet students are relying on you.

Also keep in mind that it is not your job to make sure that they pay attention - that's their job. "Listen to me" should not be your responsibility, it should be theirs. Your responsibility is primarily "Don't disrupt my lecture! Others are trying to listen to me". If they would like to quietly not pay attention, that's fine. They're paying for a seat in the lecture hall - what they do with it is up to them, so long as it does not affect the learning environment for everyone else (who are also paying for their seat in that lecture hall!).

Answer 2

Keep it short and simple. They are adults, able to understand what you ask of them, and able to understand that you have the right to request this. At the first time, say something like: "Please, you guys in the 5th row, your chatter is disturbing the class. If it's important for the class, you can always raise your hand and ask." At the second time (which shouldn't happen): "Please, if you really need to discuss something unrelated to the class, you can do it outside." At the third time, ask them directly to leave.

Also, don't be too picky. Sometimes people mishear your words or aren't sure what you've written. It happens that they ask the neighbour and he replies. Pointing out this can be annoying to the students themselves, since it's often a result of the lecture, and it would be more annoying if they asked you to repeat stuff often.

Last but not least, do not tell them to listen to you and keep paying attention. Again, they are adults, they know why they are there and it's their responsibility. Make them keep paying attention by good lecturing, and ignore those that don't try to pay attention.

Answer 3

Here are my 2 (euro)cents. Mostly are general remarks based on my -maybe lousy- experience, point 5 somehow answers your question.

1. Though breaks are useful for all the stated reasons and more, one should always take into account that it takes some time to the students to regain concentration after a break. During this time, they typically continue to speak, eat food etc. I typically allow 1 break for a 3 h lecture and 2 breaks for a 4 h lecture (we had 4 h lectures up to a few years ago).
2. Students, frequently, start to talk when the pace of the lesson is slow. Or put it in an another way: if they can find the time to talk, maybe the professor is not keeping them enough busy. Try to analyze the pace of your lecture and see if it might be worth increasing it.
3. Be sure to look at them when you speak, even if you have to write a lot on the blackboard.
4. Don't interleave too frequently the parts where you speak with those in which they work the exercises. Separate clearly the two parts (e.g. in the first 1.5 h you speak, in the second, they work).
5. When I think that students are speaking too much (rarely; they are typically quiet), I just stop talking, it is typically sufficient to regain the audience.

Answer 4

I have found that slowly reducing the volume of your voice can be effective. Students are trying to talk just loud enough to be heard by their neighbour but not so loud as to be noticed. Slowly bring down the volume over 1-2 mins and they will try and bring down theirs too so as not to be noticed. You have no chance if you try and talk over them with a big group (though that can be effective with a group of up to 40 or so). If you can learn a few names and ask "John" to be quiet rather than "the class" you will do better too. Best of luck - sometimes the class dynamic can just kill you, so don't take it too much to heart.

Answer 5

This relates to the issue of individual and group focus. The following worked for me in a foreign country, where they would speak in their own language and interrupted me as they pleased:

During presentation, after n slides, one slide is a question about the last n slides, where students need to solve it. Then ask two individuals what is the answer? They can't answer? More two... and so on.

Note on the N: This depends on the class; and how out of control they are. For me, a master class the n was 7 and for an undergraduate was 5.

Note on the Question: The question should not be too hard or easy. A little above the medium level.

After couple of classes like this, you will see, students will take things more seriously and the competitiveness of human nature will dominate the class; which is a good thing.

Answer 6

You can consider the following.

1. Make the parts when you are talking as brief as possible. If you have to deliver a lot of content, consider flipping the classroom and ask students to read the material before the lecture.
2. Engage students in group work, so they chit-chat for the right purpose.
3. Make sure that the time when you talk is valuable for students, engages them and contributes to their learning. If you do not feel enthusiastic about some part of your lecture, think how you can replace it.
4. Keep your voice at a right level and do not raise to speak over the chit-chat. Instead, you can ask students a question or attract their attention to the fact that you want to speak and fellow students may want to hear what you're saying.

Answer 7

This is a technique that my high school teacher used: ask questions, and ask the students who were chit-chatting.

• First, unless the students do not respect the professor, in which case it should be handled differently. In general, the students only chit-chat when thinking that the professor does not pay attention to them. When you ask the students questions, it is a message that "I'm looking at you". So these students will keep silent.
• Secondly, imagine you are talking with somebody, and suddenly the teacher ask you a question. Since you didn't pay attention, most of the cases you can't answer it. It is so embarrassed when all other students look at you, and you will keep silent until the end of the class, and likely the rest of the course as well. This also sets an example for other students.

I was also one of the students being asked in that way, I know how embarrassed it was :)

Answer 8

I like Dmitry's general approach.

Some specific suggestions:

If you have mobility in the lecture hall, you can take a couple of index cards with you to remind yourself what you need to say, and wander around the room. This can be done in a natural way, as an expression of your dynamism and enthusiasm. Now, with great subtlety, pause a bit when you approach the chatty cluster. You must do this with subtlety so as not to embarrass them. Just your proximity, without you even needing to give them a look, will generally cause them to stop or taper off. If need be, you can park yourself briefly near them several times during the class.

Here's something you can do if you don't have mobility, or if the above procedure doesn't solve the problem: at some point during the class, say, "I'd like to ask Row 7, starting with green sweatshirt across to black and white baseball cap, to come and see me briefly at the end of class." End two minutes early. (If anyone else wants to talk to you, ask them to wait for you in the hall for a moment, and catch up with them there.) Now you may say to the chatty Hatties: "For next class, I'd like to ask you to temporarily separate and choose seats that are in different locations of the hall. Some students are having trouble hearing, and I need to find a quick solution to that." Do you see? You are not embarrassing them.

Have some classical music playing as the students are drifting into the class. Nothing noisy -- no full brass choir, no crash cymbals.

Periodically show a short, entertaining video at the end of class. Let the students propose these via email.

Last suggestion: do a course evaluation ASAP. Draft it in as constructive a form as you can.

Answer 9

I have a professor that will look at the person and politely ask, "I'm sorry, do you have a question?"

It typically works.

I think it's slightly embarrassing to the student, enough to get him to shut up, but not enough to humiliate him.

If the student continues, I'd pull him/her aside after class and ask that they not talk in class.

As a student, when someone is talking in class, it derails me from the lecture. I just sit there and think, "how could someone be so rude?" I know I shouldn't let something like that pull me away from the lecture, but it really is hard to concentrate with something like that going on. Because of this, I do think that something should be done.

And I'm not saying that when this happens, the professor is doing a poor job of running the classroom. This happens often. In upper level classes it seems less so the case.

Some professor lash out and go on a rampage -- I don't think this is the solution either. I've had professors do this to students and it kind of makes the professor unapproachable in my eyes. I'm worried I'll ask a "stupid" question and they'll yell at me and say, "Weren't you listening in lecture? I went over ALL of this!"

Answer 10

I think it would be better to explain to them how it feels when they chit chat while someone is teaching. Try to make them understand instead of scolding or taking harsh actions. Be more friendly and teach as if thinking from their side(As in what you would've thought if you were one of the student). I think the slight change in your teaching methodology can do the trick.

Answer 11

The root of the problem is of course that authority works very differently in schools than in universities and the workplace. Young undergraduates are still in the process of adjusting to the new environment, and in large groups they tend to feel strong and carry over the behaviour they have grown up with. In the eyes of the average high-school student, actual subject knowledge is almost dispensable, but a teacher who doesn't know the tricks of the trade is a weak teacher who is asking to be trampled upon.

I haven't tried this yet as I haven't been in a comparable situation, but based on some experience teaching both at school and university level, I suggest the following in conjunction with other techniques:

In each class with a noise problem, ask one student for his or her name. Ideally this should be one of the students who were noisy, but this is not necessary. In case of any escalation, ask that student (and possibly one or two others, but no more) to see you at the end of the class. Do not announce any consequences or threats whatsoever. The only real consequence will be that you will remember the student's name and will not forget it until the end of the semester.

If one of the students whose names you know is noisy, call that student by name. If someone in the neighbourhood of a student you know is noisy, still call the one whose name you already know. Only if you are absolutely sure that student was quiet, call one who you think was noisy, identifying them as, e.g., "the one in blue to the right of John Doe".

Picking out a student even if you are not sure it's the right one is obviously not fair, but it's often necessary in this kind of environment, and that's why experienced high-school-level teachers often resort to this method. Announcing that you are going to have a word with a student later makes the students think about what could be the worst thing that might happen. Nobody wants to be swapped in for that student. Since most students have no idea of how restricted your options are, that is much more effective than any real threat, and you are not going to lose credibility if nothing happens. Actual threats or announced consequences are less effective, you risk the reaction "So cheap? I want that too so I appear equally cool before the others!", you risk losing all credibility if nothing happens, and it's often a lot of work to carry out whatever it is you announced.

Demonstrating that you remember the the names of (likely) noisy students is a similar strategy. Students will think of all sorts of ways (many of which would never occur to you) how you might manipulate the grades of those students you appear to have taken a dislike to. They don't know that their fears are unfounded before exams are over. (If you need to reinforce this fear, you might tell them sincerely but not too convincingly that you will do no such thing.)

Answer 12

What Paul says: "reducing the volume of your voice", is going to work very well. If the students cannot hear you, they'll make sure they can hear hear you if they know that they need to ask their their neighbor to stop talking. I've seen this technique used with success quite often by some professors when I was a first year undergraduate. I guess what also helped here was the fact that only about 30% would pass the exam and that there was only one make up exam after which you had to wait a year. A significant fraction of the students attending the lecture were second year students who had failed the exam twice.

Answer 13

I'd also like to emphasize that any strong confrontations should not happen in front of the class. I made the mistake of being very confrontational with a student.

She had repeatedly throughout the term been disruptive: talking, laughing, making gestures, playing on her phone etc. in a class of maybe 20. I stopped the lecture and asked her very directly, "Is something funny?" She absolutely lost it. She insulted and yelled at me in front of the class and then refused to leave when I asked her to. I had to call campus police to finally get her to go. Then I had to go through the process of arguing that she should be withdrawn from my class.

If it is a reoccurring problem that is not solved by soft, but firm rebuke, ask the student to stay after class, give them formal warning, follow this up with an email, and then withdraw them if necessary.

Answer 14

As noted by J..., it is my responsibility rather than that of the quiet students to help the noisy students to be quiet.

Here are some of the techniques that I have tried, as well as my observations about their effectiveness.

Note about the classroom: Due to the size of the lecture hall, which is more than 100 people, it is difficult for me to be heard unless I use a microphone. A wired microphone is provided by the university, but the wire is not long enough for me to walk beyond the first row of seating for students.

1. If students who are seated near the front are talking standing in front of the talking students and looking more intently at them is a subtle signal for them to stop talking. This is quiet effective for some students, but for others they seem to be oblivious to my presence and my stare.
2. If students who are seated near the back are talking, I was able to walk through the middle aisle and speak there, where I was closer to many of the noisy students. When I was standing in the middle of the students, many of them were more quiet. I suspect that this is partly because they were surprised to see me at that location in the lecture hall.
3. If a group of students is particularly noisy, I will point out the general area where the students are located, and tell them, "The students in this section are rather noisy. Please keep quiet."
4. Catching the students' attention with something interesting helps them to quieten down, e.g., showing them a video that is relevant to the class, or speaking English with a fake British accent.

Observations:

• Students take some time to settle down at the start of the lecture, and also after every lecture break. After about 10-15 minutes, students are more quiet than they were at the beginning.

Answer 15

I have been to 1000's of lecture hours in my lifetime as a student/undergrad/postgrad/medical school.

In a smaller class scenario such as your's the best thing to do is specifically single and remove those students who fail to comply after atleast one (1) attempt has been made on your part asking for compliance.

Doing this effectively activates/deactivates the dopamine reward pathway system of the brain in both attentive/non-attentive students. Placing the burden of perhaps lost attendance/lack of information understanding on the troublesome students while not affecting those that are listening.

This is a cliche example of a scenario where it's better to be feared than liked.

Answer 16

Why not make your lecture more interactive, so that the students still chit-chat, but now their chit-chat is the learning experience? The flipped classroom, as mentioned by Dmitry Savostyanov, is one way to go about this, but if you don't have the resources to flip the classroom, you can achieve some of the same educational benefits by the "straightforward questions" and "surveying the class" methods of Steinert and Snell (1999, Med. Teach. 21(1):37-42).

Answer 17

This is probably not going to be the answer you are looking for but I would like to give it anyway.

Why do you feel the need to do anything? This is not High School anymore. The people who attend Tertiary institutions are supposed to be adults. If they behave themselves like children just plainly let them.

If they have so little respect for there fellow students and teachers then let them talk. Don't get mad just go on like you always do.

When these man children eventually fall behind you can be honest with them when (and if) they come to you for assistance.

Just remember you are their educator not their parents. You educate them. You don't raise them.

You do have to realise that there is absolutely nothing you can do for a student when there is a refusal to listen to your teachings. I had to find that painful truth out the hard way. 

Answer 18

Me: "You two with the conversation. What are your names?"

Them: "Mike" "Dan"

Me: "Hi Mike and Dan." "Class say hi to Mike and Dan."

Class: "Hi Mike and Dan."

Me: "Mike/Dan you must have some really good stuff you are talking about. Since your conversation is more important than your classmate's grades whatever you are talking about must be groundbreaking." "Can I get two volunteers to come up here."

Two students come up (the other students love this).

Me: "I am going to ask my volunteers to stand 30 feet apart. Mike/Dan come on down and stand next to one of my volunteers."

Mike and Dan stand next to one of the volunteers.

Me: "Now whisper to the volunteers what you were talking about and why it was important."

30 seconds later...

Me: "OK volunteers can you share what they were talking about and why it was important?"

And this is the fun. You will get some stupid reasons. But the funnest part is that the two stories hardly ever are the same. Which leads to...

Me: "Mike/Dan given that you guys can't remember what you were talking about 3 minutes before I would suggest taking good notes."

This takes 5 minutes, it is entertaining, and I have never had to do it more than twice for one class.