6 Small Instructional Changes Teachers Can Make for Big Results

‘Teacher Voice’

Voice is one of the most important tools teachers have to engage, instruct, and support students. One’s voice is so low tech it is more like “no tech.” That might be why teachers, especially secondary teachers, forget to make use of it whether teaching in person or remotely. Teachers can make a “small teaching move” by being aware of how to adjust this “major teaching tool” to match the needs of their students and their classroom.

I learned the importance of teacher voice years ago when I began my teaching career as a preschool teacher. Nothing worked better to get the attention of 4-year-olds to clean up their toys then by giving them the direction in a singing voice. Luckily, they were more shocked and surprised by the change in my voice to notice how off tune I was. But it worked to get their attention and follow the direction while making it, at the same time, a fun game. Little did I know that tweaking this just a little works with high school students as well. Let me explain two key ways I use voice in the secondary classroom.

First, I alter the volume or tone of my voice to redirect my high school students when I need them to focus on the day’s lesson. I found it effective to use a whisper in the middle of a whole-class lecture to punctuate an important point or at the beginning of class to get students’ attention to let them know class is starting. Surprisingly, this small change in my voice is noticed by a few students who stop their side conversions or look up from their phones to ask what I am doing. I then know I have the attention of the whole class and can continue with the lesson.

At other times, I alter the speed at which I am talking and add inflections to keep my voice unpredictable and theatrical to mix things up and prevent using a flat, boring tone that would definitely cause my students to tune out.

Second, voice is an useful tool for behavior management in your classroom. Tone of voice is a way to express support and calm down a student who is upset. I use my tone to de-escalate students when they are arguing or when they are upset with me. A teacher’s voice—volume, speed, tone—can communicate more than the words they are saying. It is also a way to model for students self-regulation and the value of discussing issues calmly. As Linda Darling-Hammond says in this video: “Developing a calm, neutral, assertive voice is part of a teacher’s own self-regulation, which allows them to help students be self-regulated and to be secure in the knowledge that the teacher will be receptive to them, but also, in control.”

Together, these are just two ways voice can be a powerful tool in your classroom, whether you teach elementary or secondary students. Like any great teaching tool, there are tons of ways to adjust it to fit your students and classroom. Google has a host of resources and research on tone of voice in teaching. Begin with this article to get started thinking of ways you can incorporate the use of voice in the ways that make most sense in your classroom. It is a simple “small teaching move” that can have a large impact to create a positive learning environment that focuses on student engagement and relationships.