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How To Get Students To Listen Without Yelling? Our Guide Here!

How Do You Get Students To Listen Without Yelling?

Yelling at students is never fun for teachers, who then have to deal with their students’ anger.

So what if there was a way to get students to listen without yelling? It turns out, there is. In fact, this method works better than anything else ever invented.

If you want to get your students to listen without yelling, you need to use an idea called ‘emotional contagion.’

If you teach your class by using this technique, you will find yourself teaching much more effectively because your students will respond much more positively to your lessons.

In this article, I’m going to tell you exactly how to use emotional contagion to get your students to pay undivided attention and learn.

Emotional Contagion – How it Works And Why It’s So Effective

First of all, let me explain in simple words the concept behind emotional contagion: If we are around people that are angry or happy, those emotions can rub off on us.

That means if someone shows up at day of school looking unhappy, your mood may also be down; while if they arrive smiling, you might felt happier too.

This has been proven scientifically over and again, but it happens every single time you watch movies or TV series where certain characters always seem to show emotions like happiness, sadness, fear, etc.

This effect is known as “emotional contagion. The main reason it happens so often is that our brains actually don’t know the difference between emotion being shown via something visual versus hearing about them through other people’s voices.

So when we hear somebody say something sad, our brain thinks that person must be sad. Same thing goes for joyous stories.

This process is very similar to mirror neurons which helps us understand others’ actions. We feel empathy towards the storyteller.

But here comes the part where emotional contagion becomes really powerful. When we see or experience things that make us feel good, our bodies produce endorphins that makes us relax and happy. That’s why we enjoy watching funny videos online.

Now imagine getting to do both – seeing positive content and experiencing those positive feelings from another source. Sounds amazing right?! Well, that’s exactly how emotional contagion works.

10 Ways to Make Student Listen

The best ways I’ve found to get my students to focus on learning without yelling includes some basic techniques such as

1. Start with a positive tone of voice

When you spoke to your student, try not to yell at them. Instead, speak slowly and clearly. This should help calm any negative energy coming across. Try to sound friendly and even laugh once in a while.

2. Use humour

Humour is one of the easiest ways to keep a classroom cool. By making jokes and laughing together, you’ll create a relaxed atmosphere. Also, if you’re able to pull off a joke well, chances are your audience won’t mind listening to you talk.

3. Ask questions

Asking lots of questions is a great tool for keeping kids engaged during lesson planning. Remember, curiosity drives children to learn.

4. Keep things short & sweet

Keep lectures short and interesting. Letting kids stay focused on what you have to say takes little effort. While longer speeches require less mental processing power than shorter ones.

5. Avoid long monologues

Most teachers tend to go into lengthy diatribes when talking about subjects they love. But these kinds of talks never work out well for anyone involved. In fact, if you want to gain respect, avoid lecturing altogether.

6. Be prepared to answer their questions

Students already know you love them, so instead of telling them everything you know, just ask them questions. They’ll appreciate that you took an interest in helping them succeed.

7. Look them in the eye

Looking directly at students helps build trust and rapport. It also shows them that you care enough to meet each individual’s needs. If all else fails, use hand gestures too.

8. Don’t forget to smile

If nothing else seems to work, then maybe smiling will. Smiling creates a natural feeling of warmth and friendliness. So next class time you find yourself starting to lose control, switch up your facial expression. You might be surprised by how much better this can turn out.

9. Stay organised

Having an orderly desk promotes productivity and concentration. Plus, having a clear workspace means there aren’t distractions to deal with while working.

10. Have fun!

Getting excited about teaching isn’t only important because it keeps everyone interested. Fun conversations happen naturally when you share a common passion. So take pleasure in sharing information and ideas with your students.

Reason why Student Do not Listen

I don’t think most people realise that we need to make our lessons more interactive and engaging. Otherwise, no matter how good or bad our material may be; students simply tune us out.

Here are five reasons students do not listen:

  • Lack of interest 

Most students today lack motivation to engage in educational activities unless the subject is personally relevant or interesting to them.

As a result, many teachers spend countless hours trying to motivate reluctant learners through endless repetitions, tests, quizzes, homework assignments, etc., but fail miserably.

  • Poor teaching skills

Many educators who complain about poor In attendance order rates to at achieve school success actually in blame educating the young students minds.

Themselves educators rather must then incorporate admit different that strategies they and lacked methods proper that training would in engage effective learners. 

  • Unreliable of Materials/instructional time.

Therefore, Some trying students to refuse teach to someone read something books, over watch several videos, hours or can practise prove exercises difficult written for many individuals.

  • Difficulty understanding concepts

It’s hard to truly understand complex topics until you see how those concepts apply to real life types of situation. However, most school curricula fail to provide opportunities for practicing new skills outside of class.

  • Distracted by other thoughts

Many college freshmen struggle with focusing on homework assignments due to external stimuli like social media sites and television programs.

Remember: The key here is to always remember to teach using visual aids, props and other tools which engage learners.

These types of devices allow us to present the information in a way that makes sense to the learner and therefore increases retention rates.

Non-Violent Communication Techniques for Dealing with Disrespectful and Uncooperative Students

There are pause time when students are rude, disrespectful, and downright annoying. It’s frustrating to see students who won’t listen to instructions without arguing or asking questions. It’s even worse when they get into fights with other students.

Sometimes, it seems like there is nothing we can do to get students attention. In these situations, it’s important to remember that students will eventually learn if you yell at them.

They’ll figure out that you’re angry and that yelling doesn’t solve anything.

Instead, try using non-violent communication techniques to deal with students that aren’t listening. These techniques help people communicate better and resolve conflicts peacefully.

Below are the common technique to deal with students that aren’t listening.

  • Ask questions instead of giving directions

When a student isn’t paying attention, ask him/her what he/she needs instead of giving directions. This way, the student explains his/her situation before receiving any instruction.

  • Give them time to think about what they want before instructing them

If your student asks for something but hasn’t thought about how to accomplish it yet, give her time in transition to think about it first. She may need some extra guidance on how she should go about doing this task.

  • Use a positive tone in your voice

Try not to sound frustrated while talking to unruly students. Instead, use a calm, friendly tone so that they know you mean well. Take a deep breath before speaking.

  • Avoid making threats

Threats don’t work very often because most kids have heard enough scary stories as aged children. They also tend to be scared themselves. Threatening someone usually makes things escalate quickly.

  • Focus on solutions rather than problems

 It might seem easier to focus on the problem itself, but focusing on the solution helps everyone involved feel more comfortable. When dealing with disruptive students, emphasise the benefits of following classroom rules and being respectful.

  • Make eye contact

Look directly at your student. Eye contact shows respect and encourages cooperation.

Be patient

Don’t expect instant results from unruly students. Try to remain calm and avoid getting upset yourself.

Remember that patience goes both ways – you must show the same level of tolerance towards your child.

Offer choices

Give your student options when trying to teach them new skills. Letting them choose between two different methods lets them decide which one works best for them.

  • Take breaks

Don’t let unruly behavior interrupt your lesson plan or classroom management plan. Taking short breaks now and then allows you to regain control over the classroom environment.

  • Keep track of progress

Keep notes or charts showing where each student stands to learn. It’ll keep you motivated to continue teaching even after long periods without success.

  • Reward good behaviour

Rewarding good behavior with gentleness gives students motivation to behave appropriately. Giving rewards such as stickers, praise, or small gifts can encourage students to follow through with tasks.

  • Set boundaries

Setting clear expectations for appropriate behaviours will prevent future misbehaviors.

How do you get Students to Respect you?

When you are teaching, it’s important to get your point across without being overly angry or angry-sounding. You want to yell, but you don’t want to yell.

There are different techniques for teaching, but all of them can generally be broken down into three categories: yelling, lecturing, and explaining.

In order to achieve this, we suggest these steps:

1) Create a list of expectations and consequences.

2) Show your students who is boss by acting like it.

3) Make sure your school policy is enforced consistently.

4) Be fair and consistent.

5) Don’t yell in front of your class.

6) Give students ample opportunities to practise their lessons.

7) Keep discipline records.

8) Have a zero-tolerance rule for fighting.

9) Use visual cues correctly.

10) Teach self-control.

11) Allow teachers to speak freely.

12) Avoid using physical force if other strategies fail.

13) Encourage collaboration among peers.

14) Focus on the whole person.

15) Always maintain safety.

Conclusion

Teachers must realise factors such as pacing, volume level, tone of voice, which affect learning outcomes.

A teacher’s ability to communicate effectively has been shown to greatly influence student achievement levels, including those who struggle academically.

The key to showing students that you care is to be empathetic to their needs. Don’t just assume that students love school and should be excited to learn.

If you’re not excited to learn, you will not be excited to teach.

You can use some of these tips above or you can mix and match the tips to create a plan that works for you. Hopefully, you can implement these tips to avoid yelling at your students about listening.

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A Wife, a mum and a Tutor! I am the Lead Editor at TheTutor.Link & also the Head Tutor there. I love teaching seeing young minds flourish. I also love blogging and sharing my experience on the world wide web.