Tone as a cause and effect of learning
from Terrell Hayek
c 20 words that can influence students’ thinking,we said “Tone affects how students see themselves and their role in the learning process. In fact, the student’s own ongoing internal dialogue and thoughts about themselves and their self-identity as learners is not just a ‘factor’ in learning, but one of the most important factors.’
This is central to the principle and practice of social-emotional learning (i.e social-emotional learning strategies). It may be helpful to take a quick look at some of the key ideas and underlying assumptions about tone in learning.
Tone as a cause and effect of learning
I. Tone matters. It affects human beings and students are human beings.
II. A tone can be notable for its “tenor” and value, as well as for its abundance or lack. That is, tone can be “good” or “bad” and there can be “a lot” or “little” of it.
III. Tone can be either a reason and an effect. That is, a tone can cause “something” or be caused by something. For example, lack of confidence can I create uncertain tone, while another tone can create a distinct lack of confidence.
IV. As a factor in “climate,” tone is closely related to mood, and together they contribute significantly to that climate.
VI. Any climate created may or may not be intentionally conducive to creativity, collaboration and learning.
VII. Students experience some kind of tone in every interaction (even if that tone seems more or less imperceptible – it’s a “clinical” tone). That is, almost everything a student experiences in the learning process has a “tone.”
VIII. Having established that tone affects students and is (through our choice of words, among other factors) adjustable, this means that as teachers we can adjust something that affects students.
IX. To make these adjustments, we need to know what the tone is and how it is adjusted.
X. Tone is complex and is explicitly and implicitly created by countless sources above and beyond our words, but since our words are so easily adjustable, it makes sense to make this simple adjustment while we sort through the other factors that affect tone in the process of training.
