Is the Art classroom too noisy?

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too noisy

I have always some trouble in the management of noise in the Art classroom also because I realize that the kids feel (and are) actually freer than in a classic lesson in the classroom. The large tables are arranged in islands in order to create three large groups where the kids are exchanging materials, tools but even … chitchat!
There are of course rules to follow, and one of these is the management of the volume of their voice while they work (while the teacher talks, they must be silent).
I started to use the application  TOO NOISY for iPad in some classes to monitor the “noise” of the various classes and have a statistic on the different strategies to use. Here’s the poster after almost three months of the experiment. The classes where there are more smiley faces have deserved to listening to music in the Art classroom!

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too noisygen

 

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6 thoughts on “Is the Art classroom too noisy?”

    • Sicuramente molto faticoso… infatti non ci riesco con tutte le classi, ma con quelle più collaborative dove abbiamo instaurato un buon rapporto con regole condivise funziona!

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  2. I have a “level 0 class” of 40 + students, 5 times a day. I have each seat numbered (9 tables) and track them on a spreadsheet. They are allowed to whisper, but not above that. If they do speak above that, I give one warning. Then If they again speak above a whisper (I tell them it is like breathing words…no base) I say “that’s one” and I put a mark next to their name on the spreadsheet. After 3 marks, I call their parent right then. Each mark they lose 5 points from their daily grade. They get 20 points per day toward a weekly grade of 100. If I have to call a parent, I will move the student’s seat. After that, if I have to call again, I will write an office referral for disrupting class. I also always let them put their headphones in/on if they are actively working on a project and I am not presenting. If they speak above a whisper, I remove the privilege.

    My classes are silent, with the exception of the sounds of whispers. I tell them to act like spies and not let me know what they are talking about. It is so peaceful, and I am never angry. I hope this helps! I have other teachers from my campus and others in district always coming to watch my class to get insight. I teach middle school BTW.

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    • Brittany, you are my hero! I’ve never managed a such large class, and I think I couldn’t !
      I’d like to come and visit your class during the “spies” time! You’ve inspired me, thank you so much for your suggestion, I’ll try it!
      😉

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