Teachers Should Talk Slower
Children Don't Understand Words at the Adult Rate of Speed
Hull thinks that not only will toddlers understand concepts and directions better but also high school students.
What Is Fast Speech?
The average adult speaks at a rate of 170 words per minute. However, the typical high school student speaks and understands approximately 140 to 145 words per minute. When a student doesn’t understand a concept and asks a question, the teacher may quickly explain it a second time not wanting to take much out of class time. The student that didn’t understand the concept the first time certainly won’t understand it if spoken at a higher rate of speed the second time. Or, the teacher may raise her voice explaining louder the second time. It isn't a volume issue, it's a speed issue.
Comprehension Speed for Toddlers
What rate can toddlers understand? 120 words per minute. How slow is this? Remember Mr. Rogers? Toddlers understand better at the speed of Mr. Rogers. Perhaps that is why his television show was so popular. The children could understand everything he was saying because his speed was around 124 words per minute. Now reflect on fast-paced Sesame Street. While it seems educational, is the information flying past the toddlers too fast to comprehend? Is it the color and flashing images that keep the attention of toddlers because the words are coming at them too quickly?
Fewer Disabilities
Hull, who is scheduled to appear on NBC’s Today Show, believes that if teachers would just slow down their rate of speech we would have fewer
- Learning disabilities
- Hearing problems
- Behavior problems
He believes that students show their frustrations by
- Inattention
- Confusion
- Defiance
Less Frustration in the Classroom
"If teachers would slow down, they would be less frustrated, the children would be less frustrated, and children would learn with greater ease," says Hull in an interview with Suzanne Tobias in The Wichita Eagle. So what do children actually hear? Hull believes they hear only bits and pieces like when a cell phone cuts out in a poor reception area. You catch a few words here and there but not enough to understand what was said. Some children may hear garbled words and get frustrated and stop listening.
Central Nervous System
The brain develops differently in each child. The child that has a more developed nervous system may literally hear the teacher better and understand better. Girls are more likely to fall into this category. Boys are more likely to be born with a less developed nervous system which makes baby boys more stressful for mothers to care for them the first few years of life. Boys are often reminded to pay attention, more likely to be defiant, and more likely to need remedial placement. Perhaps, the reason they improve while in the resource room or the Chapter 1 room is because the teacher makes a point to talk slowly to the students?
Fast Speech in the Home
Parents are busy and rushing to get in the door late from work. There are so many things to do before going to a basketball game and responsibilities are delegated. Mom or dad start giving the children multiple directions and children say they can’t remember them or didn’t hear them. Parents, of course, think the kids are pulling their leg or trying to get out of doing chores. If the parents are talking at 180-200 wpm and the children are hearing at 120 wpm or 140 wpm, 25% or more of the messages could have been lost. Perhaps children tune out adults because they can’t hear them anyway.
Hull says, "Anybody who works with children will save a great deal of time if they will simply speak at a rate that children can comprehend."
Source: Suzanne Perez Tobias, The Wichita Eagle, August 22, 2008.
Preschoolers Comprehand Words at 120 wpm
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