Why might this work? When someone speaks to us, the natural response is to turn and look at them. This happens all the time in everyday conversation. We interpret being looked at as a show of interest, which also seems to give permission to continue speaking. Conversely, it is remarkably hard to continue speaking when the intended listener is not looking at us. We can use this reaction to our benefit in class. By simply not turning to make eye contact with a speaker, we quietly discourage them speaking.
The first time you try this in class, it may feel rude. It isn’t. It’s simply an effective classroom management technique and a good example of one way in which classroom teacher responses need to be different from our normal out –of-classroom behavior.