Why Shouting Doesn’t Support Learning

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Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2007, and today, he is one of the ‘most followed educators’on social media in the world. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the ‘500 Most Influential People in Britain’ by The Sunday Times as a result of…
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Have you ever screamed at a pupil?

I would be lying if I said I’d never screamed at a pupil — not a stern voice, but actual screaming. I’d lost control.

As a new teacher, I watched a colleague scream at pupils — not to calm them, but to assert control. I didn’t know what to do then. Now I do.

Why do teachers shout?

If a student is exposed to an emotional threat, this will impact what they remember – they may not remember the lesson content, but they will remember the way the teacher made them feel.

Neuroscience confirms that shouting doesn’t support learning — it stops it. Screaming may feel instinctive during tough moments, but science tells a different story.

In Chapter 4 of Guide to Memory, titled “Learning is Emotional”, I discuss how shouting activates the brain’s threat system. This includes the amygdala, triggering the fight, flight or freeze response. This surge of stress inhibits the prefrontal cortex — where reasoning, memory retrieval, and learning reside.

In short: shouting shuts down the brain’s capacity to learn.

The science of shouting

Pupils don’t disengage because they’re defiant. They disengage because their brain can’t participate. Shouting is not discipline — it disrupts the entire learning environment and often reflects the teacher’s emotional state, not the pupil’s.

It’s a sign the adult has lost control.

In today’s context — where schools struggle with attendance, post-COVID anxiety, and fractured trust — shouting pushes students away even further.

Research now confirms that shouting does more damage than good (according to the EEF’s Improving Behaviour in Schools report).

It triggers emotional memory — meaning that long after the lesson content is forgotten, students will remember the tone, the fear, and the teacher’s reaction. For students with SEND or trauma backgrounds, this impact is even greater.

Schools must move from “zero-tolerance” to approaches grounded in memory science and emotional safety. Policies should help teachers stay calm — not get louder.

So what can teachers and schools do instead?

1. Start with clear, shared behaviour systems.
2. Put targeted support in place for teachers working with vulnerable students.
3. Offer training, coaching, and non-verbal strategies like proximity and pre-planned scripts to manage recurring behaviours.

CPD questions for teachers:

1. When was the last time shouting improved classroom learning?
2. How does shouting affect students’ emotional memory?
3. What might shouting reveal about the adult’s state of mind?
4. How do different students respond neurologically to stress in the classroom?
5. What non-verbal strategies are available to de-escalate behaviour?
6. Are teachers trained to manage their own emotions under pressure?
7. How might behaviour policies embed neuroscience insights?
8. How does shouting affect attendance and engagement?
9. What impact does shouting have on trust and classroom climate?
10. Could school-wide training help change shouting culture?

Teachers should remember that behaviour training is not just about techniques — it’s about understanding how the brain responds to stress, and creating a safe space where students can learn, think and remember.

Learn more in Guide to Memory to discover how the brain, behaviour, and memory intersect in real classrooms.

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