Doug Lemov's field notes

Help students listen by going low and slow with your voice and adopting a formal posture.

“Quiet Presence” is the idea that going lower and slower with your voice is the best way to help students focus optimally, especially in those moments when their attention is just beginning to fray.

In some ways that’s the opposite of what you might expect. It’s a common mistake in the early years of teaching to get louder and faster to demand attention.  Often that increases the potential for student distraction–students might wonder if you are getting anxious and why; a few might find the indication that you are as a bit of a challenge; in doing so you often inadvertently show a willingness to talk over a certain amount of student noise.

Quiet Presence is the skill of sustaining students focus on your directions by getting lower, quieter, slower. A master teacher will often shift tones very clearly so students “hear” the difference. They will often adopt a more formal pose. And then when students have responded they’ll get on with the teaching.

You can see those things playing out in this montage of teachers demonstrating Quiet Presence both correctively (at the first hints of distraction) or preventatively (as a habit to ensure that it’s easy for students to attend to directions in the first place.

One of the things we love about this clip is how each teacher does it a bit differently, but that the themes endure: low and slow; shift your tone observably; match that to a shift to a more formal physical pose. Then when students respond get on with the teaching.

We’ll be talking about skills like Quiet Presence and many others–with LOTS more great video!–at our upcoming workshop in Bristol England on June 24 and 25.

Registration and details here:

https://www.olympustrust.co.uk/News/Teach-Like-a-Champion-Conferences-24-25-June-2024/

Thanks to Olympus Trust for co-sponsoring.