A secondary teacher turned university academic has highlighted the benefits of silence in the classroom.
As the pace of modern life grows more and more frenetic, Dr Helen Lees has become increasingly convinced that silence creates an atmosphere of calm and helps to improve pupils’ concentration, wellbeing and attainment.
She draws a distinction, however, between “strong” and “weak” silence. While the former is a deliberate stillness, where pupils are encouraged to sit and reflect, the latter is an enforced quiet, where teachers impose silence. Dr Lees told SecEd: “To achieve strong silence in the classroom is about people first talking together and agreeing to enter into silence, to use it, to respect it, even encourage it.
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