One of the frequent complaints of teachers is that their pupils are talkative and too noisy in class. Why are school children talkative? Why is it some of them or overly talkative while others are quiet?

While there is no exact answer to that, it could be deduced that like any other person, school children have individual differences. Some would be normally quiet and shy while others are active, and yes, very talkative. Where does the talkativeness comes from?

There are children who grew up in an environment where they are exposed to socializing and expressing their thoughts and feelings. These are homes where children are encouraged to share stories and mingle with family members. These children are trained to talk with adults and other children in a behaved manner.

Of course, some of these children may tend to be over confident and could boss around in school setting. As mentioned, children are like adults who have individual differences. What teachers can do to these children is allow them to use their talents and skills while managing their tendency to boss around their classmates.

Children who are overly talkative may come from a home that encourages expression and they could also come from homes where they are not allowed to talk especially during family dinners or gatherings where they are not allowed to talk while adults are talking. These children tend to feel free to talk when they are in school thus they become very talkative.

Thus, the characteristic to become talkative among children cannot be pin pointed to only one factor due to the nature of every person. Children have their own reasons why they are quiet, why they talk too much, or why they talk when appropriate. Teachers can only find out how to better deal with them as they get to know them better while school days pass. The best thing to do is to be as understanding and discipline them properly to hold their tongues when and where they should

References:

Flinn, M.V. & Ward, C.V. (2004). Ontogeny and Evolution of the Social Child. In B. Ellis & D. Bjorklund (Eds.), Origins of the social mind: Evolutionary psychology and child development. Chapter 2, pp. 19-44. London: Guilford Press. Retrieved from http://missouri.edu/~anthmark/pdf/Ch_3–Mark_Flinn.pdf. on November 2, 2014.

McDonald, E. (2014) Managing Student Talking. Retrieved from  ohttp://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald021.shtmln November 7, 2014.

Why Middle School Students Can’t Stop Talking and Three Ways to Stop It. (Novermber 2013). Retrieved from education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/why-middle-school-students-cant-stop-talking-and-three-ways-to-stop-it/ on November 5, 2014.