Blurting Out

Much like a contagious disease, blurting out by one student in a classroom is repeated by two more, then four more, you get the idea, and perhaps you have even lived the classroom control meltdown nightmare. At this point it is well worth understanding the "group mentality", mob behavior, and the security students feel safely in the company of others experiencing "safety in numbers". This is a very common problem that I have had to wrestle with while coaching teachers. Each time, the teacher has felt completely overwhelmed, unable to discern a starting point for resolution.

If this situations occurs once, it will most certainly occur again. This means getting to the source and knowing the reason why it starts in the first place. The blurting problem is no different from any other—you must know why and you must come to your own conclusions about it before attacking it. But attack it you will. Can this behavior be prevented? Yes, but you need to understand it in order to prevent it. You need to hypothesize why a student would do such a thing in the first place in order to either prevent or quell the behavior.

Let's examine "prevention" first. What are the conditions that must exist in order for a student to blurt out in class? Not every class has the necessary and sufficient conditions for blurting out. Your class needs to be one without the necessary and sufficient conditions for student blurting. Those conditions include: 1) a very lose environment where the teacher is not truly certain what will happen next, 2) a lot of "down time" where there does not seem to be much purpose for the class time and no well defined outcomes, and 3) no personal connection between the teacher and the students.

Hey, you're the teacher! Design a tight, well-defined classroom environment, fill each instructional minute with purpose, and above all—connect with and know those students! The same goes for resolving the blurting problem.

If, in spite of the best plans for prevention, blurting occurs, once again, it is your job to hypothesize why. Start with the student you believe to be the ring leader and speak to him/her privately. This is key because because there is no connection between you and the student and one needs to be built. If that connection existed, that student would never blurt out in your class. How you approach the student is your business, just make it thoughtful and meaningful. Your approach needs to fit you.

More on the "group mentality" at another time. As always, your comments and ideas are welcome.

Stef