Take Control of the Noisy Class: Chaos to Calm in 15 Seconds

by Rob Plevin

Fed up with students who talk over you and ignore instructions?

Drained and worn out by disruption, disobedience, and defiance?

Does the thought of facing some groups fill you with utter dread?

Drawing on 20+ years experience in special education and mainstream settings, teacher-trainer Rob Plevin explains a proven, step-by-step plan for successfully managing the most challenging individuals and groups in today’s toughest classrooms. Packed with powerful, fast-acting techniques – including a novel routine to get any class quiet in 15 seconds or less – this book helps teachers across all age groups connect and succeed with hard-to-reach, reluctant learners.

You’ll d

The simple six-step plan to minimise & deal with classroom behaviour problemsHow to gain trust & respect from tough, hard-to-reach studentsHow to put an end to power struggles & confrontationHow to have students follow your instructions… with no need to repeat yourselfThe crucial importance of consistency (and how to achieve it)Quick and easy ways to raise engagement and enjoyment in your lessonsThe ‘Clean Slate’ – a step by step method you can use to ‘start over’ with that particularly difficult group of students who won’t do anything you say.Take Control of the Noisy Class provides hundreds of practical ideas and interventions to end your classroom management struggles & create a thoroughly enjoyable lesson climate for all concerned.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2019

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice for a soon to be elementary teacher! Some things wouldn't work for elementary, but overall it was very insightful and an easy fast read. I'm also doing schoolwork and reading up as much as I can to be prepared for my future career, and this was definitely worthwhile to have. Will reference some ideas often! 4 stars.

[D Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing too new here. But some excellent reminders. This book helped me to refocus this year while dealing with a tricky class.
I bought the kindle version but there are lots of short activities etc so I will be buying a physical copy to flick through when I need it.

[Nicole Means · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new here- but good guide for new teachers or those that need a refresher. I was a bit turned off that the author assumed his readers were all Anglophiles… know your audience, dude!

[Sbatdorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. This book gives great classroom management tools. So many of these resources I had forgotten. It is obvious that this is not a US author as some of the examples would never fly in our schools.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sensible book with loads of insights and strategies.

[Maribeth Balda-westlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a university supervisor for student teachers in social studies. I recommended this book for a couple of students who were struggling with noisy classes. The strategies and techniques in the book were eye-opening for the new teachers. We found Rob Plevin's ideas to be practical and easy to follow. Most of all, the strategies were successful! I definitely noticed an improvement over the semester in the student teachers' ability to refocus students and to engage them in learning. It was wonderful to see the confidence in the student teachers grow and to see the noisy classes transform. I will definitely recommend the book to student teachers and experienced teachers. We can all learn a trick or two from Take Control of a Noisy Class: Chaos to Calm in 15 seconds.

[Sydney Heinig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tips but wasn’t always straight to the point. Just my opinion, but some parts felt extra yappy to me.

[Roxianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great strategies that can be implemented quickly

Some of the solutions offered in the chapter entitled “Consequences” are not feasible in my teaching situation. In my self-contained special education classroom, many students leave only for lunch and specials. Retaining them for two minutes after class is a challenge when they don’t leave the room, and 10-minute detentions after school are impossible as the buses will not wait 10 minutes.
However, one of the strategies that would work well in almost any setting is the One-Step Plan for Improvement. Plevin suggests, “Work together to come up with one key action the student could take to reduce the chance of the problem happening in the future and tell the student to focus on this for the next week.” This could easily be accomplished during independent work time, prior to students leaving for lunch, or at the end of a class period. Because the student is helping to find a solution, the likelihood of following through increases. A simple checklist or frequency chart could help older students track their own behavior. The week-long time frame sets a deadline while allowing time for gradual improvement.

[Gary Siebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some useful suggestions for classroom management, although some seem outdated, and some would get you disciplined or fired in the US (author is British), at least in my district. I definitely think that the strongest points are on organizational strategies, lesson planning, routines, and preparation. I think there is some naivete when it comes to building relationships with students and getting miscreants on your side. I've seen his approach really backfire. I think newer teachers would definitely benefit from the book, but I would recommend also reading "The Reluctant Disciplinarian" by Gary Rubinstein for a different take on relationship building with students, and consider which approach would be a better fit. Veteran teachers (beginning my 8th year) will benefit from some reminders and forgotten or perhaps unheard of strategies. Geared mostly for teachers who teach upper elementary through secondary.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plevin is an experienced teacher who worked in some difficult institutions before becoming a trainer. There is loads of great advice here but some of it is looking a little old. Schools will not encourage some of the suggested activities here!
However the fundamental basics are correct, every teacher training route tells trainees to build routines and starting with new classes that is important. I have noticed that the idea of building relationships is not always at the forefront of desirable things to do - my previous school wasn't interested in relationships, only in results - but I have it as one of my key not for sale things. Therefore I am glad that Plevin does a strong focus on this.
This is a solid book for someone who is struggling to read but I would advise discussing implementation of some of the ideas with colleagues before trying

[Natalie Shear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the book covers a lot of important things and would be a good book for new teachers. However, it was very much focused on high-school/middle school students. A lot of strategies could be adapted, but some can't. For example, letting elementary school students stand in the hallway unsupervised isn't a great idea.

Ideas/reminders i thought were helpful.
-be consistant
- never ask something more than 3 times.
- carry through with consequences.
- noise- level managment.
- consequences start off lighter and slowly escalate.
- don't threaten or waste time berating students.
- community is important aka parent contact as stakeholder and problem solver.
- your consquence/ redirection should be less disruptive than the behavior itself.

[Flora Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real Teaching Strategies That Work!

As a teacher to children of different ages and abilities, Rob Plevin’s book has helped me with strategies to foster a safe and cooperative learning environment.

For busy teachers burning the candle at both ends, this book offers respite in the form of proven strategies as well as explanations behind what could be going wrong when a class gets disruptive.

[Anthony Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a year that felt like many years, I find it refreshing to read something that I can add to the good old "teacher toolbox" to pull out for next year. Plevin presents numerous strategies in several circumstances that can serve as effective ways to implement classroom management. As I think about my third year of teaching, I hope to come back to the drawing board with these fresh ideas to draw upon as inspiration in terms of the kind of teacher I want to be and the classroom that I want to see.

[Jacob Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get very far in this book. I will keep trying, but it seemed more like a single teachers anecdotal experience teaching at a tough school and all the cool little tricks he's learned along the way. I am sure many will see this as valuable, but personally, I like principle focused, research based practices.

[Satya · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does Take Control of the Noisy Class by Plevin and On Crimes and Punishment by Beccaria have in common?

The former is a guide to classroom management by a teacher-trainer of 20+ years experience in special education and mainstream settings. The latter is a guide to penal reform in the 18th century by an Italian jurist.

CONSISTENCY and PROPORTIONALITY.

Beccaria argued that the certainty of a small punishment will make a stronger impression than the fear of one more severe if attended with the hopes of escaping.

This can be seen in Take Control of the Noisy Class. For example, Plevin recommends 2 and 10 minute detentions. Why not an hour? Students are more likely to miss these. Why why would these 2 and 10 minute detentions make a difference? They are annoying *enough*. That is, the student is not able to walk to the next lesson with their friends.

Furthermore, Beccaria also argued that we must establish a proper proportion between crime and punishment.

This can also be seen in Take Control of the Noisy Class. For example, Plevin recommends a step approach to classroom management. Rather than sending the difficult student to a senior teacher, there could be a 2 minute detention. If the situation does not improve, a 10 minute detention. If the situation still does not improve, a detention in break.

There are 255 years between the publication of Take Control of the Noisy Class and On Crimes and Punishment, however, both argue CONSISTENCY and PROPORTIONALITY.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great ideas to try

There were lots of fresh ideas in here plus plenty of reminders for things that had lapsed but most of the measures are aimed at teachers with their 'own' class but isn't so useful for supply or PPA cover teachers.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

So useful, reassuring and entertaining. I've tried some of the strategies already. Appointing Shushers only made matters worse, but doing a little magic trick to prove I can read their minds worked a treat!

[Katie Brock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Behaviour management is something I struggle with as a teacher
This was great and had lots of tips and tricks, some new some not to guide you through.
Some things didn’t apply as I work in a primary setting but still useful.

[Vaiva De Chatte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely written. Good ideas

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read to get some tips on classroom management going into my final semester of my education degree, and I got a lot of good tips and resources out of this one.

[Whitney Seigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great methods that I use in my classroom daily! The secret agent is my favorite. I love how the book comes with several additional resources for classroom management.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good classroom management ideas.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it, this isn't for kids of this new Era.

[Marilyn Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

A number of good, easy to implement ideas, and relevant background information.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read/Listened to this one. Bought it for a book study for work. It definitely got me thinking about classroom management and it had some good ideas in it.

[Mryare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always good to refresh all the basics. As teachers we can end up arrogant about routines and so on. It's good to go over everything again and ensure nothing has slipped by the wayside.

[Skyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are lots of great strategies to refresh your teaching in here.

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful information, but not all of it can be applied to the library

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, highly recommend it for anyone who finds other class management books too "naive" or simplistic.
Very practical with loads of resources and helpful tips.

[Ronald Chevalier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully concise read for new teachers and an excellent brush up reminder or fine tuner for veterans when it comes to tricky discipline situations. I throughly enjoyed and recommend it.