‘Audience control’ (keep the class learning while you correct one pupil)
Aim (what it achieves)
Prevent one pupil’s behaviour from becoming a class event.
When to use
When a pupil 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 pupil)
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 pupils who ‘perform’ under peer attention. Also supports anxious pupils who are distracted by conflict.
Tags
Sources
Used in
Behaviour Matrix
- 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 + spotlight compliance
Starve minor attention-seeking while reinforcing the norm.
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 pupils of the expected behaviour right before a high-risk moment.