I have a problem with a class (ages are 13) of mine.

1-The students are very noisy and unless I show anger or raise my voice, the noise continues. I’ve tried shutting off the lights, but that only made matters worse. Now, I realized that the type of activities that I have for the lesson can either improve the problem or make it worse. I have verbal tests which are mandatory for the students. This type of activity takes about 15 minutes and it forces students to listen to others. This activity is hard for me as a teacher because my students cannot focus or listen for too long.

Any ideas on how to manage the noise when we have a test? I have a colleague who is willing to sit in on this class and tell the students to listen. She/he has had the class before and has had problems with noise. My co-teacher (the Asian native) finds the class noisy too and has problems. I’m not the only one.

Any suggestions on how to improve the noise especially when we have tests? Students of this age (13) are probably undergoing puberty which makes our work harder. My co-teacher handles the parents and we don’t have that opportunity. If we have major issues, we talk with the co-teacher or with our director. They are aware of this, but I thought it good to get some ideas for my own teaching.

Thanks,
Pencil