In this edition of Learning World, we explore how what we hear – and sometimes what we don’t hear – affects our ability to learn as well as our overall educational progress
We look at the effect of rhythm in Jerusalem, and hundreds of kilometres away in Hong Kong we drop in on a special drumming session.
But first we visited Scotland, to see how the ‘sound of silence’ can bring peace and calm to school children.
The sound of silence
Some people say silence is golden, others prefer the “whistle while you work” approach. But could a combination of both actually be the best bet? We explore how sound can make a difference to learning outcomes.
Silence is often used to help concentration and meditation. In Buddhism, for example, it is thought to quiet the mind and purify the soul and Buddha is reputed to have stayed silent for an entire week. We look at what happened in one Scottish classroom when the teacher imposed periods of mindful, calming silence.
Noise is emerging as the largest environmental nuisance in Europe according to the World Health Organisation. Studies show that exposure to excessive levels can impair cognitive performance in children.
Schools in the UK are responding with silence. At Fettes College in Edinburgh, the pupils swap pads and pens for pillows and blankets as part of their mindfulness exercises.
Flora, who takes part in the exercises, says school can sometimes be overwhelming:
“You can find yourself going and not really realising what’s happening in the day, you’re on autopilot but it makes you stop and think and feel ‘Is there anything wrong with you’ – how do you feel and stuff”.
Another pupil, Catherine, seems convinced it’s having an effect:
“My parents think it’s really good because they know that I’m kind of a stressed out person, I’m a big stress pot, I get myself really worked up about small things, so I think they have actually noticed a big change in me after using them”.
Originating from Buddhist teachings, mindfulness is just one type of silence technique which has won favour in British schools.
Teacher Debbie Spens, who leads the exercises says:
“It’s focusing their attention on the here and now. So they’re very much thinking about their breathing and calming themselves down – and knowing the moments where they are under stress and the stress points in their bodies. They can recognise when they are under stress, and recognise when they might need to just calm down and take time out, and they have the wherewithal to do it with the different exercises they learn through the course”.
Research shows that silence practices can improve exam results, self-esteem and even combat bad behaviour.
For the advocates of silence, it is an absence with a function, providing an antidote to the strong culture of assessment found in many UK schools.
Rhythm revolution
In the Gaza strip, many many people suffer from war traumas and music is one way to help them recover. But could using music also improve teaching technique? And what about using music to help students with their studies? Learning World headed to Shuafat Palestinian camp in East Jerusalem, home to about 35,000 refugees, to find out.
Afaf Titi is a teacher and has lived here for the past 15 years. Over a period of two weeks, she attended a music workshop where she learnt how to use music and sounds in the classroom.
“It changed me a lot,” she says of the experience. “I was very shy. When it was my turn to move my body in the workshop, I didn’t know what to do, because I wasn’t used to it. But now I can create a few moves and I’ve become a leader with my students.”
Three times a week, Afaf attends the music workshop in Bethlehem with other teachers. For the last six years, the NGO Musicians without Borders, has been teaching in this part of the world how music and sounds can act as an aid to teaching and learning.
The trainers give teachers and social workers new activities and tools that they can use in their daily work. They use a combination of song, dance, body percussion and musical games.
Liz Coombes, from Musicians without Borders told euronews about what the workshops can do.
“I think it’s a fantastic way to become confident. It’s a way to experiment and explore and be really creative. And as we know, being able to be creative in things is a great way to learn”.
And her colleague Fabienne Van Eck believes it’s not just the students that can benefit.
“Some activities we do also help the teachers to relax, to take care of themselves, because especially here in Palestine, it’s not easy to work in schools. There are many issues, there are many problems, so, also the teachers need to take care of themselves, or the social workers”.
Palestinian women learn how to move, to use their voice and their body as an instrument to create music. This workshop helped Afaf to express herself better.
Asaf Titi expressed the freedom the workshops bring.
“In our tradition, speaking in a raised voic
