PIDP 3260 - Silent or Speech Filled Classrooms
I have to confess, this section in Brookfield’s The Skillful Teacher delighted me. In it, Brookfield encourages silent periods of instruction, where speech is not permitted.
Why does it delight me? Well, when it comes to recognizing and accommodating people’s differences, my experience has seen an expectation that introverts must “come out of their shell” and learn to be extroverted, implying that extroversion is the only correct behaviour. It has only been very recently that I have seen recognition that maybe, just maybe, collaborative environments should acknowledge that this is very uncomfortable for some people, and that it is the environment that should adapt, not the person. Hence, this section in the chapter Teaching in Diverse Classrooms was a welcome breath of fresh air and new ideas.
PsychCentral, April 29th, 2022
So I did a little digging, and it appears that there are multiple sources, including this PsychCentral article, that support the benefits of silence. With concepts like brain stimulation, better concentration, helps with processing, and others, I can clearly see how adding periods of silence to the classroom could support learning..
Even more, I really appreciated the ideas that Brookfield shared to implement this, including reflective pauses of silence ever 15-20 minutes, and one I especially liked, the newsprint dialogue. This 5-10 minute exercise debriefs small group discussions as students return to a whole class summary of their discussions - and while interactive, it is done quietly in writing rather than verbally.
While I love the ideas provided for silent exercises, Sarah Fillion of Positive School Solutions, talks about how even small moments of silence has benefited her classroom environment:
What a lovely idea to explore more on.
Thanks for dropping in, and we will chat again soon!
~ Jennifer
Resources:
Brookfield, S.D. (2015). The skillful teacher. Jossey-Bass.
Cox, J. (2022, April 29). The hidden benefits of silence. PsychCentral. https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-hidden-benefits-of-silence
Fillion, S. (2025, April 23). The surprising power of silence in the classroom (…and how it gave me back time, energy, and presence). Positive School Solutions Our Blog. https://positiveschoolsolutions.com/blog/the-surprising-power-of-silence/
Photo credit: clipart-library.com
