The Teacher Presence Course.

If 70-90% of communication is non-verbal, isn’t it time we supported teachers in developing these crucial non-verbal skills, enabling them to find greater and more authentic presence in the classroom?

Shouldn’t we be supporting the deeper development of the teacher, enabling them to become more confident, open and connected in the classroom?

The way a teacher is present in a classroom effects:-

  • The aliveness of a lesson.
  • The confidence and effectiveness of behaviour management.
  •  The degree of connection and inclusiveness a teacher has.
  •  And the extent to which they ‘know’ their students.

This three part course gives an in depth exploration of creating classroom presence for schools and teachers.

It begins with a lesson observation and one-to-one feedback session with each of the teacher participants. The observation focuses on the elements of teacher presence, of how they show up in the class. It looks at posture, voice, aliveness, gesticulation and the response of the teacher to stress or pressure. It looks at how the teacher uses the stage of the classroom, and their ability to connect to students.

This part of the course has been highly valued by teachers, giving them a type of detailed feedback they rarely get from other sources.

The course then proceeds to a one day workshop (or equivalents such as three 2 hour workshops). These workshops offer tools and practices that enable the teacher to become more aware of their own patterns of responding to classroom pressures, to deal with stress more skillfully, to stay connected to their students and their purpose, and to become more confident, open and alive in their presence.

It gives them practical, simple, but powerful tools to practice that will help develop their crucial presence in the classroom.

The course concludes with a one-to-one coaching session where they get more individual support, where they clarify and develop the kind of teacher they aspire to be, and they plan the steps necessary to reach that aspiration.

FEEDBACK FROM THE COURSE.

“Unlike any other CPD I have completed, thinking about my presence in the classroom, my mood and my posture has really enabled me to relax into my teaching and find a rhythm.

“I feel my ability to move around the classroom and create a positive yet calm environment through body language and tone of voice has had a positive impact. It also gave me an opportunity to reflect on the aspects of teaching I am good at – rather than focus on the negative, creating a more positive frame of mind for myself.

“The final coaching observation was especially thought provoking. I am still replaying the conversations I had with John on a daily basis. The simple questioning that revealed the root of a problem I was facing was genius and now identified has allowed me to deal with the situation in a new way. The final session made me think about the teacher I would like to be and reassure my aims and goals in the profession.” R.G. (NQT.)

“Inspiring teacher presence is fundamental to excellent schools. An inspired teacher inspires students. They are different to charismatic teachers. A charismatic teacher makes students think how great the teacher is. But an inspiring teacher makes students think how great they themselves are. An inspiring teacher combines the qualities of being in relaxed but firm control and then generously opening up the space in the class for the students themselves to be at the center, to be thrilled and awed at their own capacity to learn, to wonder and to love the world we are in. And yes, this is what we want.”

John Tuite.