Duration: 13:02
About the teachers
Danny Buller began teaching 2 and a half years ago, transitioning from a career as a personal assistant. She has taught students in the early years (Kindy, Year 1 and Year 3) in a metropolitan context.
Kellie Nicholson has been teaching Years 7 to 12 in metropolitan contexts for 20 years.
Rachel Morrison has been teaching for a year and has taught Years 2 and 3 in a rural context. She previously worked in school administration.
Transcript
[On-screen text] Viewer advice: First Nations people should be aware that it is possible that some individuals depicted in this video may have since passed away.
Danny Buller, classroom teacher, Briar Road Public School: Voice control is choosing the tone, the pitch and the volume that you use when speaking to students.
Kellie Nicholson, Head of Department, Science & IT, Woodcrest State College: Different scenarios require a different tone and a different pitch. The tone that I would use when giving instructions to a whole class is very different to the tone that I would use when having an individual conversation with a student.
Rachel Morrison, classroom teacher, Renmark Primary School: A regular tone is for just normal everyday teaching, and then more of an assertive tone when I'm addressing students or giving very clear, concise instructions, or when I'm addressing individual student behaviour.
Danny Buller: Using different volume, pace, pitch and tone let's students know when it's more of a relaxed communication, or when maybe they need to be reminded of correct behaviour expectation and now it's time to pay attention.
Kellie Nicholson: So I can modify my volume, I can modify my tone, to demonstrate to students about where they're at in regards to the behaviour expectations and meeting them, without having to explicitly state them.
Danny Buller: I would use a regular voice and stance when I'm having regular conversations with the students, when we are having learning conversations or I'm just chatting with the students.
What sound?
Class: ‘Ff.’
Danny Buller: What's the name of that letter?
Class: F.
Danny Buller: Who's our new friend that we learned?
Class and Danny Buller: Fifi Flamingo flaps.
Danny Buller: When I'm using a regular voice and stance, my tone is more relaxed and I usually have a smile as well.
Student: It's on his trunk.
Danny Buller: Oh, it's on his trunk, good job. Would you like a balloon? Would you like a balloon? Oh, yes, please, Ellie.
When I'm speaking in a regular way, I would vary my pitch to be low, high, enthusiastic. When I have a more regular tone, my body language tends to also be relaxed.
Waterfall.
Class and Danny Buller: ‘Shhh.’
Danny Buller: Alright, that was a practice round. Stand up now that we've practised. Next time if I don't say ‘Simon says’, you can't do it, you got to stand still.
When I'm speaking regularly, it's quite high pitched and it varies. When I have an assertive voice, I tend to go lower.
Remember, tracking means you are looking and listening, not talking: track with me. Phonemes are – oh, remember, looking and listening, not talking. Let's try that again.
I would use an assertive voice or stance if students weren't meeting behaviour expectations or if they were being too loud.
KB, eyes to me in 3 … 2, learning lips, one … zero —— Thank you KB, I can see everyone has their learning lips.
When I'm being assertive, if I'm trying to gain all the classroom's attention or it's a situation where they're being too loud, I will use a higher volume with a lower tone. But when I'm speaking one-to-one with a student, I won't speak louder, but I would, I will use a more stern tone with them.
So you've been talking to your friends and it's time to focus and do our work. If you keep on talking to your friends, I'll have to move you where you can concentrate. Show me how you're going to focus on your learning.
When I'm using an assertive tone, I tend to speak a little bit slower so that students understand that it's serious and they can listen carefully to the words that I'm saying. I make sure that I'm facing the students straight on and that I'm looking at them in the eye when I'm talking to them. When I vary my tone and my stances, students are more engaged, they're paying attention to what I'm saying and doing. They can use the vocal cues to understand what's expected of them, and it makes sure that they understand what behaviour expectations are needed.
Kellie Nicholson: I would use a regular voice and stance when I'm talking individually with students or a small group of students in a more conversational tone, as opposed to when I'm addressing an entire class.
Do you remember what those little squiggly things are? The head and the little legs. [Student speaks inaudibly.] Think smaller, so we're talking cell membrane here, right? So, do you mind if I draw in your book?
When I'm talking individually to students, it's more of a conversational tone, it's far more casual, the volume's quite low.
Student: One fly and a bunch of sticks in there.
Ah, there's like massive bugs over there, from some of them, like massive things. Maria, thank you for putting your hand up, I'll be there in about 30 seconds.
Student: And, there is one more fly here.
Kellie Nicholson: See about removing this stuff ...
So, the variety of pitches that I would use in a regular voice is a lot more casual, it tends to be a little bit more jovial and a little bit more fun, because that helps me to continue to build positive relationships with students.
Please.
Student: Miss, what's the juices?
Kellie Nicholson: It's like, if we vac-packed a piece of steak, there'd be juices there too. You okay?
Student: Yeah, I'm fine.
Kellie Nicholson: You look terrified. Are you okay?
Student: Yeah, I’m good.
Kellie Nicholson: So my body language when I'm using a conversational tone with students is far more relaxed.
It's just an opportunity to just have a bit of a think and see what you come up with. So, we've got a bit of a thought process down here about daughters having daughters. Is that right, did I get that right? Which is a fantastic start, because they're right.
When I'm addressing the class or giving instructions, the word that you could probably use for that tone is a little bit more stern because of the instruction giving. Examples of when I would use an assertive voice and stance would be entry procedures with the students – going through the lining up, having equipment, entering the room; would be after gaining all student attention and giving an instruction. They would all involve the use of an assertive tone.
So usual entrance routines when you head in: you're going to walk in, mouths closed, standing behind the chairs. You will need to collect a chair today.
Three … two … one, equipment down, eyes on me, thank you. So, in regards to cleaning up your biological material – that means the toad and any pieces of the toad ...
I make an effort to lower my voice slightly when using an assertive tone. I find that that's easier to project that across a larger area, to ensure that all students can hear me clearly.
The disinfectant spray is on the trolley, and grab some paper towel by the sink to clean down or wipe down your benches, disinfect your benches, please.
When I'm being assertive in the classroom and using different volume, especially in a practical setting, and the student's volume is loud due to it being a practical activity, I'll find that I'll need to use a higher volume, but ensure that I am not shouting, to ensure that I can still gain student attention.
Okay, so you've got about one minute to finish off with your dissection and then we're going to start packing up.
The pace that I use when using an assertive voice: I will slow down how I say things to students when giving very explicit clear instructions, to ensure that they have processing time to understand what I'm asking of them.
So, the pressure: when you're using the scalpel, please take your time – don't rush – and be quite gentle with the pressure.
I'm standing as tall as I can and I am making sure that I'm highly visible to all the students. Three … Two … One …
The impact of using various voices and stances allows me to communicate to students how I think that they're meeting my expectations without me having to explicitly state it. It's just another use of a non-verbal cue.
Rachel Morrison: So, when I'm using a regular tone, it's usually game time, it might be morning circle, sharing time. Kids can put up their hands and give me opinions of what we're talking about. So it's a bit more of a relaxed kind of environment.
Today let's have a look at our ... did anyone say anything thoughtful to anyone today?
My regular voice tone is probably a bit more relaxed, it's probably a bit quieter and just calmer.
If I break it up like that, because it does make a little bit easier, how many different units of repeat have I actually got here in my pattern?
Class: Two.
Rachel Morrison: Two, that's right – there's one, and there's another one. No other units of repeat are different – they're just one and two. So how many units have I got ...
When using a regular voice, the variety of pitch is a high to low. It just kind of depends on what activity we're doing.
Here's your pattern. How many units of repeat?
Student: One.
Rachel Morrison: Just that one there? How many terms? One, two, three. How many elements? Three, six, nine. Perfect.
With a regular voice, it depends on the situation. If I'm speaking to a child down at their level, it might be a quieter kind of whispery type voice. If I'm addressing the whole class, it might be a bit more loud and a bit more focused on the whole group. Depending on what it is, if it's an activity, it might be a bit more fun, a bit of expression in my voice.
The work you have done is absolutely fantastic – you should be really proud of it. Put up your hand if you've done one repeating pattern with one unit. Put up your hand if you've done that. Hands down. Put up your hand if you've done another repeating pattern with 2 units. Fantastic.
When using a regular voice, it's usually, my body language is very relaxed, it's quite expressive, the hands go. I think the students kind of gauge that the lesson might be a bit more relaxed.
Can you give me a homophone? See and the sea.
So, when using assertive voice this might be in the context of giving in specific instructions for a lesson task, or I might be correcting behaviour, and the tone I'll be using would be more direct, more assertive, straight to the point, and a lower pitch.
So, Mrs Morrison is going to go over to the table to show you what to do, okay. So, just like we normally do in maths, you can stand around, you can kneel around the sides, and then everybody else can stand around those people, but we need to be doing that quietly, okay. So, what do you need to do when you come to the table?
Class and Rachel Morrison: Kneel, stand and quietly.
Rachel Morrison: When being assertive, I think volume comes into that. For example, I use the attention-grabber 'waterfall', so it might be quite like loud to start with and then go calmer towards the end as they settle in.
Alright, waterfalls. Can someone just let me know, what was the instruction that I gave you when you left the table? Can you pop your hand up if you can let me know?
So, the pace I'd use for an assertive voice would probably be slower. It'll be more assertive just to emphasise the instructions that I'm giving. When using an assertive voice, my posture will be upright, direct to the students, so they know that I need their attention.
Okay, 3 lines. Willow, that's a great spot for you to be —— Thank you for the people that sat down nicely and waited for me to give you the next instruction. Hands down. Okay.
Having a varying voice control helps students understand what's expected of them. So if I'm using the assertive voice, they know that they need to stop and look straight away so they are not missing out on what instructions or what needs to happen next.
Brilliant, fantastic. Okay, just wait for me to let you know when to go. Okay, alright, can you please stand up and really quietly and nicely walk to the corridor, making sure that you're not running. Okay? Go have a wonderful break, see ya.
[On-screen text] Deliberate pause: Recap of elements for success
Regular voice and stance
- More relaxed rather than firm tone
- Wide range of pitch (low to high)
- Loud enough volume for individual students, a group or the whole class
- Regular pace
- Less serious, more relaxed body language that mirrors the voice
Assertive voice and stance
- Firmer tone
- Lower pitch
- Strategic use of volume
- Slightly slower pace when necessary to emphasise the instruction
- More upright posture
- Clear communication
Acknowledgements
- Briar Road Public School, New South Wales
- Renmark Primary School, South Australia
- Woodcrest State College, Queensland
- Xavier Catholic College, Northern Territory
- The Balloon Blow Up by Andy Geppert, used with permission from Lothian Children’s Books
Keywords: student engagement, disruption, disruptive behaviour