Noise Management
Calibrating, signalling, and maintaining the level of sound appropriate to each stage of a lesson. A communicative classroom is not a silent one: productive noise during pair work and group work is a sign the task is functioning. The skill is matching volume to activity type and resetting cleanly when the activity changes.
Activity-appropriate levels
Different stages need different baselines. Silent reading and individual writing need near-silence. Controlled practice in pairs runs at a low murmur. Open group discussion or roleplay can be loud, and a sudden quiet during such a task is more diagnostic than the noise, usually meaning the task has stalled. Whole-class feedback needs one voice at a time. Learners need to know which level is expected before they start, not be corrected during.
Signalling shifts
The risk of group-stage tasks is residual noise spilling into the next stage. A taught quiet signal handles the reset. Some teachers use a visible indicator — a coloured card on the board, a number on a slide — that names the current acceptable volume so learners can self-regulate without the teacher policing the room. Lemov's "soft start" pattern lowers the teacher's own voice as a cue for the room to drop with it; the contrast works better than asking for quiet at full volume.
Diagnosing problems
Wrong-level noise is usually a task-design symptom rather than a discipline problem. Excessive noise during what should be a focused task often means pairs have finished and need an extension, instructions were unclear, or seating allows too much cross-pair distraction. Persistent silence during what should be discussion means the task is too hard, the topic is dead, or learners do not have the language to attempt it. Both are fixed at the planning level, not the disciplinary level.
References
- Harmer, J. (2015). The Practice of English Language Teaching (5th ed.). Pearson Longman.
- Lemov, D. (2015). Teach Like a Champion 2.0: 62 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College. Jossey-Bass.
- Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Macmillan ELT.