Those who teach, don’t need to talk
What do you do when you have laryngitis but don’t really feel sick? It is kind of hard to go to school and teach a classroom full of rambunctious kids with no voice. Well, now you don’t have to call in sick. Heather Wolpert-Gawron wrote a great little article about what to do when you don’t have a voice in the classroom. I thought her ideas of what to do while on “mute” were very relevant since we have been discussing classroom management ideas lately. Ms. Wolpert-Gawron met her students at the door and gave a list of three things she instructed her students to do even before they set foot in her class. She didn’t let on that she had no voice. The kids followed her instructions and as her story goes, it sounds like she had a very productive day with her students. At one point she used her computer hooked up to her LCD projector and spoke to her kids via the typing on screen. She even had a clever way to tell if her middle school kids were paying attention to what she was ‘saying’ on screen. She had them stick out their tongue when they completed reading the instructions. Ingenious!
The ideas that Ms. Wolpert-Gawron had are not actually new to me. I have done things like this when I have had no voice. As a music teacher you can feel totally lost without a voice! But as she did, I found great success in conducting class without speaking. It was actually kind of fun. You would be surprised at how attentive kids can be when you whisper, especially when they expect you to be loud and vocal. It has actually been one of my better classroom management tactics. The kids are so intent on listening to you that I suspect even more can be accomplished with the plans than with full voice. I have actually tried doing this on days when health and voice are working just fine. As with the teacher in the article, I have found charades to be an effective form of communication. I have found kids of all ages really get into this. Anything that resembles a game is always a hit. I hadn’t thought of it, but the use of the laptop and LCD projector is great too. I have a Promethean board hooked up to my laptop in my classroom. I will definitely be using this when I go ‘mute’ again. Clearly, you have to be totally prepared and organized to pull something like this off, but it is a great experiment in classroom management.
The author of this article teaches language arts, speech and debate, but as I have said, I have done things like this in the music room. Give it a try! Awhile back we had a discussion question that asked to give our favorite quote. The last paragraph of this article will give you some very insightful words of advice that you could hold in your important quote repertoire.
“Teaching doesn’t require volume. Classroom management doesn’t require yelling. Being in control is about humor, it’s about having your antennae up, and it’s about being creative enough to make every moment valuable.”
What do you do when you have laryngitis but don’t really feel sick? It is kind of hard to go to school and teach a classroom full of rambunctious kids with no voice. Well, now you don’t have to call in sick. Heather Wolpert-Gawron wrote a great little article about what to do when you don’t have a voice in the classroom. I thought her ideas of what to do while on “mute” were very relevant since we have been discussing classroom management ideas lately. Ms. Wolpert-Gawron met her students at the door and gave a list of three things she instructed her students to do even before they set foot in her class. She didn’t let on that she had no voice. The kids followed her instructions and as her story goes, it sounds like she had a very productive day with her students. At one point she used her computer hooked up to her LCD projector and spoke to her kids via the typing on screen. She even had a clever way to tell if her middle school kids were paying attention to what she was ‘saying’ on screen. She had them stick out their tongue when they completed reading the instructions. Ingenious!
The ideas that Ms. Wolpert-Gawron had are not actually new to me. I have done things like this when I have had no voice. As a music teacher you can feel totally lost without a voice! But as she did, I found great success in conducting class without speaking. It was actually kind of fun. You would be surprised at how attentive kids can be when you whisper, especially when they expect you to be loud and vocal. It has actually been one of my better classroom management tactics. The kids are so intent on listening to you that I suspect even more can be accomplished with the plans than with full voice. I have actually tried doing this on days when health and voice are working just fine. As with the teacher in the article, I have found charades to be an effective form of communication. I have found kids of all ages really get into this. Anything that resembles a game is always a hit. I hadn’t thought of it, but the use of the laptop and LCD projector is great too. I have a Promethean board hooked up to my laptop in my classroom. I will definitely be using this when I go ‘mute’ again. Clearly, you have to be totally prepared and organized to pull something like this off, but it is a great experiment in classroom management.
The author of this article teaches language arts, speech and debate, but as I have said, I have done things like this in the music room. Give it a try! Awhile back we had a discussion question that asked to give our favorite quote. The last paragraph of this article will give you some very insightful words of advice that you could hold in your important quote repertoire.
“Teaching doesn’t require volume. Classroom management doesn’t require yelling. Being in control is about humor, it’s about having your antennae up, and it’s about being creative enough to make every moment valuable.”
Reference
Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2009, November 04). Those who teach, don't need to talk. Teacher Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2009/11/04/wolpert_gawron_tln.html?tkn=UUQFEyGplyAc5T7u8g636kEKm/79slI9UVYT on November 09, 2009
I found this article and your blog totally exciting. Last Thursday, my principal sent me home early because I had no voice and she said she didn't want to see me before Monday. I wasn't sick but I just didn't have a voice. Granted, it was nice to have a day off but because I was home "sick" I didn't feel like I could go do anything. My voice eventually came back but now it is going again. I will definitely have to try Ms. Wolpert-Gawron's ideas. I do have an LCD projector and laptop in my classroom. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteYour right about a classroom having to be very well organized. I feel this strategy can be very effective when properly administered. In a well adjusted/organized room, sometimes students are able to teach themselves. Very creative blog and one that I hope to incorporate one day...if not more often! I, too, have a promethean board (that I would be lost without) and by using this technology could very well be useful when my voice has been turned off!!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! So often teachers think that if they need the classes attention, the answer is to yell above them--but as a rule, the opposite works better. When students strain themselves to hear because they think in doing so, they won't know what to do, the environment becomes a quieter one much more conducive to learning!
ReplyDeleteThis teacher had some great ideas including the one you mentioned where she had her students stick out their tongues upon reading one instruction--this not only gauges the productivity of the class but also spices it up for the students and can actually make for a "FUN" day!