The 5 Second Solution for a Talkative Class
Hi, I’m Jennifer Gonzalez for Cult of Pedagogy Today. I want to talk to you about the 5-Second Solution.
This is a little tweak that you can make to your teaching or your presentation any time you work with a group of students or participants.
A tiny change can make a really big difference in how well things go for you.
The basic idea is this: When we are talking to a group – and we’re trying to get everyone’s attention a lot of times, we don’t wait long enough to get full quiet and get everyone’s attention.
Maybe it’s our level of discomfort.
We just start talking when there are still people who are not focused on what we’re saying.
So what I’m gon na show you today is how what a difference it can make.
If you just wait about five seconds, This is not a precise amount.
It’s about five seconds.
So I’m going to show you before and after I’m going to say the same thing twice. Okay, I’m gon na tell everybody to finish what they’re doing and then I’m gon na start to give them instructions.
I’m gon na tell them to turn to page six in their packets and write down their answers to the first question So the first time and I’m – going to be playing sound effects of students.
So here we go.
This is NOT using the 5 Second Solution, the sound of a noisy classroom.
Okay, everyone finish up what you’re doing.
We’re going to move on to the next step Now.
The next thing you need to do is turn to page six in your packets, and I want you to write down your answer to the first question.
Now you can hear that I talked right over the voices of the students who were still talking.
They likely didn’t hear me or some of them.
Didn’t hear me Now here:’s. What’s gon na happen with those students, The two or three students who were still talking didn’t hear my instructions.
Now they are going to turn to somebody else and ask them, or they’re gon na put their hand up and say What page did you say? What are we supposed to do I’m gon na get mad at them because they didn’t hear the instructions that I so clearly gave.
If you just wait a few more seconds to make sure that you have everybody’s attention, then they all hear you So we’ll do this again and I’m gon na wait this time.
So let’s bring on the noise again the sound of a noisy classroom.
Okay, everybody finish up what you’re doing.
We’re gon na move on to the next step.
Noise fades to silence.
Okay, the next thing you need to do is turn to page six in your packet and write down your answer to the first question.
I waited until I had complete silence.
That is what the 5 Second Solution is Just waiting until you do have everyone?’s attention I’ve, seen teachers get upset at students who aren’t paying attention or who didn’t hear an instruction or whatever it was, and granted a lot of those students should be quiet when you first say it, but sometimes it just takes a while to get everybody’s attention. So when you’re presenting to a group, just wait a few extra seconds until you’re sure you have everyone.
Attention then talk and you’ll see.
It makes a huge difference.
Thanks.
