How voice training can help teachers improve wellbeing in the classroom

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Teachers use their voices in the classroom to build enthusiasm, convey knowledge and defuse tensions.

A warm, encouraging voice boosts pupils’ motivation, reduces anxiety and improves connections with teachers and classroom dynamics. Controlling or harsh tones can unknowingly create stress for pupils, erode trust and lead to disengagement.

But teachers are also stressed, and stress can affect the way we speak. Being stressed affects the control we have over our speech. We tend to speak at a higher pitch with more variation, which can induce vocal strain.

Further, listeners can perceive the speaker’s stress from their speech. That perceived stress has the potential to influence the emotions of the listener, too, which in a school can negatively shape a classroom’s atmosphere.

Few teachers are trained in how to use their voice effectively. Neither are teachers trained in how to protect their voice to ensure career longevity and prevent voice-related illness. Providing voice awareness training for teachers could help reduce the impact of stress and overuse on teachers’ voices and transform communication within the classroom.

Read the article HERE

Understanding slow learners

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Some children progress through school more slowly than their peers, despite having no diagnosed intellectual or specific learning disabilities. This pattern of general academic delay is often referred to as slow learning disorder (sld)—a descriptive term, not a medical diagnosis.

What is slow learning? Children with sld typically have iq scores in the low-average range (70-85) and struggle across subjects like reading, writing, and math.

Unlike children with dyslexia or dyscalculia, slow learners show widespread difficulty with abstract thinking, memory, attention, and following instructions. They often require more time and repetition to grasp and retain new concepts.

Read more about it HERE

Dyslexia with Numbers? Take This Research Based Test

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Ipad apps for dyscalculia

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Uncertain future of IDEA law

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Students with disabilities are in the crosshairs of the attacks on public education. In light of the uncertain future of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — the federal law that serves and protects students with disabilities — parents, educators and policymakers must step up to safeguard protections for our most vulnerable students. 

The law reaches 7.6 million children nationwide. Nearly 15% of all students age 3 to 21 received services through IDEA. It serves as a lifeline for an increasing number of students and their families.

IDEA originated in parental voice and a push for governmental accountability. Unlike most legislation, which is advanced by professional associations and lobbyists, it was driven by an organized, nonpartisan movement of parents of children with disabilities. 

Read the full article HERE