Teaching Video

Teachers, Try This: Beyoncé's ‘Mute Challenge’ to Get Students’ Attention

By Sam Mallon — January 4, 2024 2:22
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2016 file photo, Beyonce performs at a Get Out the Vote concert for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. Jay-Z is on top of the music world this weekend as the leading Grammy nominee. So it was fitting that he held his annual Roc Nation brunch, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, on the top of New York City's World Trade Center. And even though Beyonce made an even later entrance by minutes, she was still queen of the party. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

“Look around, everybody on mute.”

It’s a line Beyoncé uses during her performance of “Energy” to get the crowd to go silent, and it’s one teachers have started incorporating into their classroom management practices.

Here, one teacher shows how she uses the phrase in her class, and talks about the benefits of incorporating pop culture into the classroom to improve student engagement.

Sam Mallon was a video producer for Education Week.

Video

Student Well-Being & Movement Video How This District Is Shrinking Students’ Screen Time—After the School Day Ends
Engagement navigators in this district help students take advantage of the many available extracurriculars.
Natalie Marshall chats with a North Central High School student athlete on a field trip to Glover Middle School on Dec. 4, 2025.
Natalie Marshall chats with a North Central High School student athlete on a field trip to Glover Middle School on Dec. 4, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Artificial Intelligence Video Is the ‘AI Glow’ Starting to Wear Off? What to Expect in 2026
Artificial intelligence is now integrated into a wide variety of products and services that K-12 schools use, making it almost inescapable.
1 min read
English teacher Casey Cuny reads in his classroom as a screen displays guidelines for using artificial intelligence at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025.
English teacher Casey Cuny reads in his classroom as a screen displays guidelines for using artificial intelligence at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Education Funding Video School Funding: The 3 Big Questions to Watch in 2026
2025 was a disruptive year for school funding, here's what we're anticipating in the year ahead.
Illustration in blue of huge hands holding money as silhouette people run towards it.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy Video How Reading Instruction Evolved in 2025, and What’s Ahead
Throughout 2025, Education Week has covered how states and districts are continuing to incorporate new instructional methods and materials.
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Niki Chan Wylie for Education Week