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Addressing Calling Out in Class
Calling out occurs when a student speaks during instruction without being recognized. Possible influences include enthusiasm, difficulty waiting, uncertainty about expectations, or a desire for interaction.
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What this can look like
Blurting out answers before a question is finished
Making irrelevant comments during a lesson
Interrupting peers when they are speaking
Talking over the teacher
Before deciding why it is happening
Examine the outcome. Consider whether calling out successfully results in the teacher engaging with the student. If so, the behavior may be reinforced. The student may have learned that calling out is an effective way to get a response.
Possible Contextual Influences
- —Impulsivity or difficulty with waiting
- —High enthusiasm for the topic
- —Desire for peer laughter or attention
- —Unclear rules about when it is acceptable to speak
- —Anxiety about forgetting a thought if they have to wait
Practical things to try
- 01Use alternative response methods (whiteboards, thumbs up/down, choral response)
- 02Provide a "parking lot" sticky note on their desk to write thoughts down
- 03Acknowledge raised hands immediately: "I see your hand, I will call on you next"
- 04When appropriate, briefly prompt the agreed participation routine and reinforce an accessible signal or communication method
- 05Teach specific times when calling out is allowed (e.g., brainstorming sessions)
Replacement Skills
Skills to teach and reinforce instead:
- • Using an agreed participation signal and waiting for acknowledgment
- • Writing a question down to ask later
- • Using a silent signal to show they have an answer
- • Tolerating when someone else is called on
Common Mistakes
- — Responding inconsistently to the expected participation routine
- — Using a lengthy public reprimand instead of briefly prompting the expected skill
- — Assuming the student is intentionally being disrespectful
- — Expecting a student with high impulsivity to wait indefinitely without support