2 much talk

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Home : 2004 : February : 16

2 much talk
By Carolyn

I think you are on the right track by having this sort of behavior plan. This is a sociable age, and kids will do nothing more than chit-chat if you don't come up with some sort of plan to stop that behavior.

I know
it's difficult to keep up with everybody's talking, and it's difficult for all kids in a group at any given time not to talk. I think that before you take away a ticket, you need to verify that the student(s) who are talking are talking about the task and not socializing. You will need to circulate among the groups to verify this.
Now here's my opinion on the taking away the ticket

for a member of the group doing some talking. You can start by giving the class a warning: "If I come around and find that even one member of the group is off-task, then the entire group will lose a ticket." This does place pressure on each group to work as a cohesive team. Group members will tell the offender to "shut up," especially as they see you approach their group. If you have stated the conditions for losing the ticket beforehand, then the group shouldn't get all that upset. You DID warn them.

I know it's common at this age for kids to think about what's fair and what's not fair. It's also hard to please everybody, and no system you use is going to please everybody.