Very interesting. How did it go? In my career as a teacher, of 11-18 year olds, I always used silence as a way of getting the right atmosphere for learning. No need to say anything, just stand silently.
In my non-teaching activities, especially in meetings, I adopt the view expressed by Salvator Rosa:
"Be silent, unless what you have to say is better than silence."
I think it went well, and actually became part of most of the sessions as a matter of expectation. That is, I had to announce a minute of silence in early classes in the semester, but as time went on, students settled into a silence when class time began. On days when we had class guests or when we had short class presentations scheduled (tightly, I should add), we jumped right in. No break from the chattering before class. I'll continue to use silence it this fall.
I love the "moment of silence". I did something similar when I taught. I would start my music classes with everyone performing a particular piece:
* Start together, sing a note for a full breath
* Take a new breath, now sing any of the notes you hear anyone else singing
* Repeat until everyone is singing the same note
Sometimes it took a couple minutes, sometimes it went on for a few more. It was a good way to bring everyone into a mindset of participation and subtly reinforce a message of harmony and unity. It was also quite beautiful at times.
I found this kind of "daily reset" helpful for getting the kids to settle down and focus, and doing the same thing before every class became a defining ritual.
I also had one I would bust out if they were getting sleepy: Laura Dean's "Jumping Dance". Everyone stands up. One person starts jumping up and down on a steady pulse, and every time your feet hit the ground, you go "HA!" Everyone does it at the same time, same note, etc. Repeat until everyone is too tired to continue.
I would love to hear how this works. For the first time in over a decade, I’m back teaching - this time, an abridged grad seminar on mixed research methods. Six weeks, four students.
Great post; in particular, this stuck with me: “I think all in a seminar need to have a sense of ownership and a sense of common direction, even though they may differ in their views.” I think that’ll be helpful in setting the stage in my own seminar.
Good luck with the seminar. I'm back in the library at the moment, paging through some books on Arthur Rothstein's photography. It's been a long time since I've been on campus, I realized. Good to be back.
Very interesting. How did it go? In my career as a teacher, of 11-18 year olds, I always used silence as a way of getting the right atmosphere for learning. No need to say anything, just stand silently.
In my non-teaching activities, especially in meetings, I adopt the view expressed by Salvator Rosa:
"Be silent, unless what you have to say is better than silence."
I think it went well, and actually became part of most of the sessions as a matter of expectation. That is, I had to announce a minute of silence in early classes in the semester, but as time went on, students settled into a silence when class time began. On days when we had class guests or when we had short class presentations scheduled (tightly, I should add), we jumped right in. No break from the chattering before class. I'll continue to use silence it this fall.
I love the "moment of silence". I did something similar when I taught. I would start my music classes with everyone performing a particular piece:
* Start together, sing a note for a full breath
* Take a new breath, now sing any of the notes you hear anyone else singing
* Repeat until everyone is singing the same note
Sometimes it took a couple minutes, sometimes it went on for a few more. It was a good way to bring everyone into a mindset of participation and subtly reinforce a message of harmony and unity. It was also quite beautiful at times.
I found this kind of "daily reset" helpful for getting the kids to settle down and focus, and doing the same thing before every class became a defining ritual.
I also had one I would bust out if they were getting sleepy: Laura Dean's "Jumping Dance". Everyone stands up. One person starts jumping up and down on a steady pulse, and every time your feet hit the ground, you go "HA!" Everyone does it at the same time, same note, etc. Repeat until everyone is too tired to continue.
Love the Literature Clock
It is refreshing!
I would love to hear how this works. For the first time in over a decade, I’m back teaching - this time, an abridged grad seminar on mixed research methods. Six weeks, four students.
Great post; in particular, this stuck with me: “I think all in a seminar need to have a sense of ownership and a sense of common direction, even though they may differ in their views.” I think that’ll be helpful in setting the stage in my own seminar.
Good luck with the seminar. I'm back in the library at the moment, paging through some books on Arthur Rothstein's photography. It's been a long time since I've been on campus, I realized. Good to be back.