‘Audience control’ (keep the class learning while you correct one student)
Aim (what it achieves)
Prevent one student’s behaviour from becoming a class event.
When to use
When a student escalates slightly and others start watching, reacting, or joining in.
How to use (steps)
Teacher language (examples)
“Everyone: next line of working in silence. Eyes on your page.” (then quietly to student)
Top tips (makes it work)
Move your body to reduce the ‘stage’. Keep correction brief.
Common pitfalls
Correcting loudly; allowing a crowd; pausing learning for too long.
SEND/PP considerations
Protective for students who ‘perform’ under peer attention. Also supports anxious students who are distracted by conflict.
Useful for these SEND needs
Relevant SEND Needs
Why this strategy helps
- Uses low-arousal redirection to protect dignity.
- Reduces cognitive load and supports completion.
- Supports regulation and relational safety.
Universal SEND-friendly: Yes
SEND-targeted: No
Tags
Sources
Used in
Common Behaviour Issues (Behaviour Hub)
- Interrupt & Redirect Attention seeking / clowning / minor disruption
Related strategies
Planned proximity ‘split’ (separate a pair without confrontation)
Stop peer-driven disruption by breaking proximity subtly.
Turn-taking tokens as a volume reset (Talking Chips as intervention)
Reduces noisy or argumentative group talk by making turns limited and explicit, lowering volume and pace.
Tactical ignoring
Reduce attention-seeking disruption by withholding attention from minor performance behaviour and reinforcing positive re-engagement.
Procedural seat change (quiet reset)
Break patterns (peer friction, chatting) without confrontation.
Structured talk control (start/stop, roles, time)
Allow talk for learning without it turning into noise.
Pre-correction (prime expectations before the moment)
Prevent predictable slip-ups by reminding students of the expected behaviour right before a high-risk moment.