Teaching in Silence

This week I came down with a slight chest cold.  No big deal.  Until I had to teach for 5 hours on Wednesday.  I guess when you combine a chest/throat cold with talking for 5 hours straight, you get laryngitis.  For a teacher, this is kind of a problem. We, of course, do a lot of dancing/movement in my classes, but I also do a lot of talking. For my younger classes, my voice is important for keeping the little ones engaged. The tone and volume of my voice play a huge role in directing their attention and enforcing rules.  

Yesterday I learned a valuable lesson about silence in the dance classroom.  As a teaching tool, I already use a quiet whisper voice to redirect attention and calm the energy of a class. Yesterday was different.  When I could not find a substitute teacher for the 3 classes I teach on Thursdays, I had to teach the ENTIRE class in silence or using a very quiet whisper. The result?  My students had to focus and listen very carefully to know what to do next. I think it became a new challenge or game for them. While doing warm-ups the students noticed that they had to watch me very closely because I couldn't talk over the music to tell them what to do next.  The fact that I couldn't talk over the music also caused me to rely more on my body language and gestures to direct the students. Reminding me of the value of visual learning for me students.  In short, I thought Thursday's day of teaching was going to be a nightmare, but it turned out to be a very valuable learning experience. I'm hoping that in future classes I can remember that sometimes the best way to teach is without saying anything at all. 

How about you?  You may or may not be a teacher, but you may be a parent or someone that works with kids. How do you use silence or quiet time to help students/children focus?  I'd love to hear about it.

Keep moving,

Amy Redmond Waran
Owner/Artistic Director
Flying Colors Dance & Fitness

www.flyingcolorsdance.com