After my tutorial with my tutor, Tim, I felt inspired to revisit the reading material I briefly mentioned in my first blog post, Teaching at UAL.
The article Embracing the Silence: Introverted Learning and the Online Classroom by Karen Harris explores how the shift to online learning fosters a more contemplative and inclusive teaching approach. This benefits introverted students, whose learning preferences have traditionally been overlooked in conventional classroom settings. One key takeaway for me is that educators should embrace the role of facilitators rather than all-knowing experts. This shift alleviates the pressure to constantly demonstrate expertise through speech, allowing space for deep listening and silent reflection—essential elements for understanding diverse perspectives and resolving conflicts.
I wanted to revisit this idea after Tim introduced me to various faculties within educational psychology, one of which is verbal intelligence—an area in which I excel (or at least perform above average—cheeky grin). Because I’m quite adept with words, this faculty often overpowers others. I joked that nurturing silence sometimes feels futile, like trying to care for quiet indoor plants while a nosy roommate with no social boundaries keeps knocking on the door—that roommate being my talkative, good-at-explaining-things side.
It was an important reminder that thinking and processing don’t always happen simultaneously with listening. When I talk incessantly, I lose the capacity to think, analyze, and evaluate. That’s why embracing silence actively during teaching is so important—learning isn’t just about absorbing information. Silence, or pauses in speech, function like punctuation marks in a teaching session. Just as punctuation helps break up long sentences to enhance readability and comprehension, silence helps students process information in more digestible chunks.
There are many ways to introduce silence. One effective approach is asking quality questions—not just the generic “Any questions?” but prompts that encourage deeper thinking and imagination, such as “What image did this explanation create in your mind?” or “What are your thoughts on what I just showed you?” These are active, thought-provoking questions. Handouts also serve as valuable silent teaching assistants, allowing students to absorb information at their own pace and revisit key points later for reinforcement. A well-structured handout can cater to different learning capabilities, with key definitions presented as succinct one-liners and supplementary material available for advanced learners and quicker readers.
By integrating silence intentionally, I create more space for students’ experiences. This fosters greater reciprocity in learning—more mutual exchange, more openness—and that’s incredibly important, if not the most important thing, I want to cultivate in my teaching.
Reference
Harris, K. (n.d.). Embracing the Silence: Introverted Learning and the Online Classroom.