Blah, blah, blah… Do you know any people who never know when to be quiet? Those who never give others a chance to chime in or voice an opinion? These garrulous gabbers have all the answers, possibly all the questions as well. Is such a person your student? Can we, as educators, quiet that annoying, continuous chatter?

Encouraging positive input from our students is important; however, the Garrulous Undergraduate Gabbers (GUG) in our classrooms can and will disrupt, distract and possibly elicit "teacher temper." To avoid this scenario, here are strategies to calm the deafening din.

Timers are quite effective. In this case, students will be given a pre-determined amount of time to make a contribution to the group. Once the timer goes off, the speaker must stop talking. This strategy will make clear the need to allow others equal time thus preventing droning on. The technique can be used in small or very large groups since an instructor can easily reset the timer. If someone must report back to the group, the timer would be an effective tool to make sure students understand the need for brevity with substance; that is, making sure to say what is necessary and keeping it short.

Another quite useful technique is "talking chips." Each student in the group is given a "chip." This article can be any manageable item such as a pencil, pen or paper clip. In order to speak, the student must relinquish the chip. This technique encourages productive group interaction in two ways. First, there is structure for equal participation. Everyone involved should understand the rule: No one can speak again until everyone in the group has had a turn to speak. Secondly, the student will be very thoughtful about their contribution since they will have no other opportunity to share.

"Wait time" is another effective method to allow students time to ingest what others are saying and think through their response before "cashing in the chip." So often, rather than focusing on what a speaker is saying, the listener is already anticipating a response. By using "wait time," the listener knows they will not be able to contribute right away and even the most overanxious

GUG might relax and think a bit.

Note that "wait time" is built into the silent thinking phase of this procedure (Lyman, 1992).

Variations: During step three, each member may share his response, his partner’s response, a synthesis or something new with the quad, another quad, or the entire class.

2. Two Step Interview: Students are placed in dyads and one student is called A and the other B. Here are the steps of Two Step Interview. (1) A speaks while B listens. (2) B speaks while A listens. Both speakers have exactly the same amount of time. The listener/interviewer may ask an open-ended question.

3. Round Robin: In a small group with 4 or 5 members, students take turns speaking while others listen. Use of the timer prevents anyone from going on too long.

Learning the lessons of cooperative group interaction is most important even beyond the classroom. Understanding and applying the lessons necessary for productive discussion is a powerful, life-long skill. With these few structured applications to that end, students of any age will benefit by learning to communicate effectively while being cognizant of giving others an opportunity to share ideas.

Lyman, F. Think-Pair-Share, Thinktrix, Thinklinks, and Weird Facts: An Interactive System for Cooperative Thinking. In Davidson, N. and Worsham, T. (Eds.) Enhancing Thinking through Cooperative Learning. New York: Teachers College Press (1992).

Jensen, E. and Davidson, N. Twelve Step Recovery Program for Lectureholics. College Teaching. 45: 3 (1997). 102-103.

Johnson, D.W., R.T. Johnson, and K.A. Smith. Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Co (1991).

Kagan, S. and M. Kagan Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing (2009).