Publish at May 29 2016 Updated February 16 2023
If you were asked to identify the teacher's primary instrument in a classroom, what would you say? Probably the blackboard. Whether it is nolir or white, it is the most distinctive element. And yet, no. A teacher can teach very well without boards of any kind. Yet, without his voice...
In fact, we too often forget, but the teacher's voice is essential during all his interventions. Whether exposing new knowledge to the whole group, disciplining unruly students, or interacting with them individually, all it takes is for the voice to be turned off or derailed for the teacher to lose a significant part of his or her effectiveness.
And then the professorial voice has more functions than one might think. These researchers have noted that just by the tone taken, the teacher reveals the attitude required of learners. For example, an authoritative intonation will mean that seriousness and calmness is required while the more sarcastic or playful one will want to elicit interaction or pleasure from the student. To break the monotony of a speech, changes in tone will indicate important elements of the lesson. Some teachers will even slow down the flow or repeat terms they consider essential to remember.
Or, as the text will show in conclusion: vocal skills are not sufficiently addressed in teacher training. Of course, supervisors of trainees will be able to give them notes, but most teachers interviewed admitted to learning appropriate vocal approaches on their own. Some believed they had to shout all the time when this was absolutely not true. Others, on the contrary, had to practice making their voices carry.
Strange to say, but the teacher is practically a performing artist in the operatic arts. Like opera singers, they have to be careful not to force the larynx to push the voice, but rather to let it gush out by breathing through the abdomen. There are even diaphragm exercises that are recommended for them. Moreover, others suggest that teachers keep well hydrated, give the voice a break by alternating between lecture periods and assignments, and, above all, do not believe that whispering preserves the voice. On the contrary, the frequent practice of whispering damages the vocal cords as long as one wants to speak loudly afterwards.
The subject is so important that on canal-u, the webtv of higher education and research, capsules have been made by the University of Lyon 1 on the subject including exercises. Dating from 2013, they are proposed by Marc Flandre, a teacher and singer who therefore knows very well the need to preserve his voice. Simple little tips that last only a few minutes that will show the posture and exercises to express yourself well and carry your message.
Of course, it is not only the voice that is important. You also need to be confident in your message. Yet, it is possible that some teachers are more nervous than others. Especially those who are just starting their careers. They will be able to follow this MOOC from the HES-SO (University of Applied Sciences - Western Switzerland) of oral communication for stressed people. A small training course that helps identify the right approaches to have and the golden rules to adopt to communicate.
Teachers therefore cannot ignore their main instrument. Aspiring teachers need to understand the different vocal approaches to learners. The more experienced, meanwhile, must do everything in their power to preserve it.
Illustration: jurvetson via Foter.com / CC BY
References
Biette, Corentin. "Protecting Your Voice When Teaching." Le Café Du FLE. Last updated: September 2015.
http://www.lecafedufle.fr/2015/09/proteger-sa-voix-quand-on-enseigne/.
"La Voix De Son Maître..." Rosemar's Blog. Last updated November 9, 2015.
http://rosemar.over-blog.com/2015/11/la-voix-de-son-maitre.html.
Moustapha-Sabeur, Malak, and Jose Ignacio Aguilar Rio. "Faire Corps Avec Sa Voix : Paroles D'enseignants." Hal - Open Archives. Last updated January 20, 2016.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01255329.
"SMALL METHOD OF ORAL COMMUNICATION FOR STRESSED PEOPLE." HES-SO MOOC. Accessed May 26, 2016.
https://moocs.hes-so.ch/#courseid=31.
Tupula, Agathe. "7 Tips For Paying Attention To Your Voice This Back To School Season." The Huffington Post. Last updated August 28, 2015.
http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/agathe-tupula/perdre-la-voix-maux-de-gorge-trouve-vocal-prevention_b_8031700.html.
Lyon 1 University. "La Voix De L'Enseignant: How To Warm Up The Voice? Exercise 1: Vocal Sitting." Canal-U. Last updated June 10, 2013.
http://www.canal-u.tv/video/universite_lyon_1icap/la_voix_de_l_enseignant_comment_s_echauffer_la_voix_exercice_1_assise_vocale.13650.
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