teaching

Ethics teacher Alicia Potts discovered a good method for enhancing  her ethics lessons. Alicia writes: A while ago, I was listening to a business podcast when I heard voice coach Tracy Goodwin discussing how to use variety in your voice to tell a story and communicate your message. As I was listening, it struck me how useful this could be for me in the classroom as a volunteer ethics teacher.

Engaging students in meaningful discussions is essential to helping them develop strong values and ethical reasoning skills. However, it can sometimes be challenging to capture their attention and keep them focused on the lesson.

I wrote down the key takeaways from the podcast and have been successfully using these tactics during my ethics lessons. Below is my summary of Tracey Goodwin‘s five elements of vocal variety we can use to convey meaning and build connection with our students.

Tracy Goodwin’s Five Elements of Vocal Variety

Intentional pauses: This technique is the most powerful and involves taking a brief moment of silence before and/or after delivering an important message to create emphasis. This allows students to absorb your words and reflect on their meaning. It may also draw them back in if they have tuned out while you were speaking.

Elongation of words: Elongation is simply stretching out a word to draw attention to it. While telling a story, if you said, “Jack looked really upset”, it wouldn’t have as much impact as if you said, “Jack looked reeeeealllllllyy upset”. By drawing out the word, you emphasise the importance of the concept and help students understand its significance.

Shades of loud and soft: Varying the volume of your voice can also be a powerful tool to hold student attention. If you speak in the same tone the whole time, it can be boring and children can lose interest and get distracted. You can also use volume to communicate a message.

If you are reading a story with an exciting, action-packed section, you might use a loud voice. Speaking loudly can convey a sense of urgency or excitement and make your students sit up and take notice.

By speaking softly, you create a sense of intimacy and understanding, drawing your students in and encouraging them to listen closely. Talking as if you are telling a secret can make students feel important and valued in the lesson.

Pacing fast and slow: Varying the pace at which you speak can also make your ethics lessons more engaging.

Speaking fast is great when you are expressing excitement and urgency. However, speaking fast all the time could give the students the impression that you just want to get through the lesson, and they might be less inclined to engage with the content. Speaking loud and fast all the time has been proven to repel people.

By slowing down your speech, you can create a sense of gravity and importance. It also allows students to really take in the words you are saying. Sometimes, the concepts in ethics lessons are quite complex and foreign to the students, making it all the more important to slow down and allow thinking time. Don’t be afraid to speak extra slowly when the word or phrase is meaningful.

Changing melody (high and low): Finally, varying the pitch of your voice can add interest and emotion to your ethics lessons. Using variations of high and low notes in your voice helps build the listeners’ trust in you. Change your pitch and the direction (up or down) of your pitch regularly as you speak, and play around to find what feels natural to you. Often, the higher the pitch, the more excited you sound, and it could convey enthusiasm or worry. A lower pitch can be used to express confidence, seriousness and authority.