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Spring Meeting Review
The ‘Sound Sense for Learning’ Study Day on 26 April was an enjoyable and enlightening day for me. This was only the second study day I have been able to get to since joining the VCN a few
years ago. The venue was easily accessible and the format of the day had variety and interest throughout.
My background is that of LAMDA speech and drama: teaching our speakers-of-the-future (one hopes!). Therefore the usual development days I have attended have been very much performance
based. Attending a VCN day was refreshing. I found coming at this subject from a very different angle, technically quite challenging. I left feeling I had gained a broader knowledge of the voice and
its needs.
I particularly enjoyed Mel Churcher’s: ‘Voice for Difficult Spaces and Microphone Technique’. This was full of ideas and techniques for problem solving tricky teaching spaces and tricky pupils!
The research shared by Valdis Jonsdottir and Bridget Shield was extremely interesting and highlighted the importance of voice teachers and specialists, particularly as a support for other
non-voice teachers.
Sara Bubb – Senior Lecturer, Institute of Education, London, then highlighted the vulnerability of a new teacher with her facts about ‘What teachers are up against in their first year’.
The audience was quite shocked at times!!
Clearly, voice training would greatly help NQTs. Coming together at the end to ‘round up’ by sharing our thoughts and views was a useful and relaxed way of gaining feedback and rounded off
the day very satisfactorily.
Katie Thorpe – Speech and Drama Teacher
VCN Member – Bucks
Sara Bubb – Developing New Teachers
Sara Bubb is a consultant specialising in Newly Qualified Teachers and advising on a range of Leadership issues in Education. She writes a weekly column for the Times Education Supplement and we were delighted she could contribute to the Study Day with lively insight into the problems facing Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in their first year.
There are a lot of NQTs, (approximately 30,000 per year!)
Whilst they are supposed to have a reduction in their teaching time for lesson preparation, many still find the demands of a heavy workload only manageable by putting in too many hours per week (over 60 in some cases). There has been a rapid increase in the number of Support Staff in the classroom, from under 20,000 in London, to over 40,000 in the last 10 years. Despite this and even with close support and mentoring, many NQTs in London are leaving the profession due to:
• Unruly behaviour
• Poor school leadership and
• The demands of a heavy workload
The effect of all this is negatively affecting NQTs’ personal health. It is essential that the personal development (PD) needs of the individual NQTs are analysed, and a programme of training put in place early in their careers.
Voice training, which is still not a core part of ITT (Initial Teacher Training), is one area many of the NQTs are realising is an essential part of the Toolkit to survive!
Spring Study Day Report – Mel Churcher
Over 40 VCN members made for a very full attendance at the Spring Study Day at Nutford House on 26 April 2008.
The day got off to a great start with a beautifully put together workshop by Mel Churcher, who helped all the participants warm up slowly (it was Saturday morning!) and then went on to
show how to understand and make best use of ‘difficult spaces’ in which so many of us are asked to perform or deliver a workshop. Mel had everyone out of their chairs (and out of
our own spaces) investigating the various corners of our room at Nutford House!
She then went on the cover very useful and practical comments and tips on speaking, using microphones and how to introduce variety and fun.
She finished off with what all participants thought was a fascinating, brilliant but short way to demonstrate different voice tones and effects – the Virginia Satir qualities:
Placator Leveller Blamer Thinker Distractor
She again had the whole audience on their feet and practising on their own and with each other! A brilliant exercise, and one which demonstrated the real practical benefit of attending VCN Study
Days. Mel produced some very detailed notes which were distributed to all who attended.
Thank you very much Mel for sharing so much.
The Editor