Silence in a Classroom
How can silence be put to use in a feminist classroom? What are the positive ways to cultivate silence, ways which empower, rather than shut down? Audre Lorde has been widely quoted on the negative impacts of silence on women. She uses the term "silence" as an active verb; those with power have historically silenced others.But I am interested in the other implications for silence, namely, using silence as a tool:for discovery, creation, and real critical thinking.Our culture is afraid of silence.We bombard ourselves with cell phones, television and radio. Often the assumption is that if someone is not talking, it must be a "bad" thing.As teachers, we replicate this model in our classrooms.We feel that students must really be getting something out of our classes when they talk about what they are learning.But does talking always insure that a student has really processed the material and made it her own? Or is talking in class often another form of performing for the teacher?
Particularly in a writing class, where students are practicing putting words down on the page, cultivating a silent space seems imperative.My belief is that the more students are encouraged to write rather than talk in the composition classroom, the more they will trust their stance as authors of their own pieces.Silence can be an opening into the untapped places where deep, explorative writing is created.Peter Elbow writes about "felt sense," the way we can feel whether or not our intentions are being expressed in our writing by "listening" to our bodies:
The foundation of verbal meaning often lies in the silence of what is felt nonverbally and bodily.When writing goes well, it is often because we periodically pause and say, 'Is this what I mean to be saying?'It's amazing that we can answer that question:that we can tell whether a given set of words corresponds to an intention.The source of the answer is the feelings and the body-consulted in silence.When writing goes badly, it is often because we don't make these pauses for quiet consultations with felt sense. (Everyone Can Write 176)
Many of our students are just learning to "trust" themselves as writers.Most haven't had the opportunity in high school to explore what writing can do for their thinking; they have been taught that "writing" is a product produced for a teacher.Student-centered pedagogy seeks to de-center teacher authority, and has moved away from traditional methods such as the lecture format to more group discussion.
In Downs and Wardle’s article, they argue and identify the flaws in teaching writing in college. Demonstrating the misconceptions that academic writing is universal, but rather specialized in each case. Citing studies and opinions from esteemed professionals, Downs & Wardle state their points and illuminate the problem in today’s many colleges.
The very first chapter we read of Mindful Writing changed my perspective to see that anyone and everyone can be a writer. Brian Jackson, the author of Mindful Writing, wrote, “In this book I want to convince you that anyone writing anything for any reason is a writer…Writing is not something we do just in school. It is a vital means of influence in all facets of life.” It was through that very first reading that I began to think about writing as more than just a dreaded part of school, and I began to think of myself as more than just a student forced to write. Our very first assignment, My Writing Story, helped me to reflect on my identity as a writer. I realized that I was a writer every time I wrote in my journal or captioned an Instagram post. Throughout the semester, as I came to love writing more with each paper I wrote, I was able to create my identity as a writer. I learned that I loved research and analyzing others’ thoughts and ideas, but that writing simply on my own opinions, wasn’t my favorite past time. Through the countless readings this semester, I saw which writing styles I loved and which didn’t speak to me. Each day of class, I chipped away at creating my identity as a writer, and I’m grateful for the lessons that helped me shape and realize that
When a baby hears the words “mommy” and “daddy” for the first time he or she cannot erase that, it is a part of the file cabinet of knowledge now. To give people the best model possible, we should imitate it in the media and at home. In Gloria Naylor’s essay, “The Meaning of a Word,” the author briefly states that verbal and written language are the same. Even though, verbal communication packs a powerful punch, I believe written communication has a lasting effect.
When you’re silent, other people feel uncomfortable. They often try to fill the silence, so they reveal more about themselves and what they like to do. It’s actually a tactic that law enforcement uses to get people to confess. Quiet people listen to all the problems around them and can come up with the best solution to the problems. Problem solvers are very important or else we would just have problem, after problem, and it would never get anything done.
The very idea of spending time with people outside of school is exhausting and my heart begins to pound as I raise my hand to speak during class. Speaking in public, even if it’s just to answer a question in class, or carrying out tasks like ordering Chinese food can lead to tears or a sudden lack of ability to breathe. If I think I say something in a weird way or join a conversation I feel I should not have joined, I will remember the terror (because it is pure terror) that I felt in that moment basically
Main Premise: Which characters experience silence over the course of this story, and what meaning do they find in this experience? How does this work? Which characters impose silence on others, and why do they impose it? Overall, what is the function of silence in this story? How is it valuable as a teaching tool?
As a sophomore in college and majoring in education, this article makes me understand why Herrington wants teachers to see, “the correspondence between the act of learning and the act of writing” (1). Students in today’s generation are in a far more advanced state than when I was in high school. A lot happened in two years, students now are taking tests where the questions are half multiple choice and half short essay questions. As a former student in high school, I never had a teacher who expanded my knowledge in a way that involved writing and with this in mind, neither did my English teacher. There never was that one teacher who took it to the next level for us students; somehow they always stayed in their comfort zones.
The tutorial interaction in writing centers provides beginning writers with an essential element not found in other types of student-helper interaction. Unlike the usual colloquium that occurs in most classrooms, tutoring offers a one-on-one setting whereby a student can directly consult with, discuss, and turn to an experienced peer for help with as many steps of the writing process as possible. This unique setting offers a chance for tutors to address students’ individual needs using strategic dialogue.
Thinking about a topic to write about is not always easy, and sometimes the process of writing can end up being difficult. Jennifer Jacobson discusses strategies to overcome the struggles that young writers can encounter while writing. I was interested in her book No More “I’m Done!” Fostering Independent Writers in the Primary Grades because I feel like as a future teacher this could be a frequent problem among students. From reading this book, I hoped that I would learn useful strategies that I could use to help students overcome their problems with writing. After reading this book, I do believe that Jacobson has provided me with plenty of methods to use. I was surprised at the depth that she goes into in her text. There is a vast amount
Any craftsman knows that you need the right tools to complete a project successfully. Similarly, people need the right language and usage to communicate in a positive way. How people write is often a problem because they don’t have the right tools, but a bigger problem occurs when a writer “is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything at all” (592). If a writer carries this mentality, why try to communicate in the first place? People need...
For many students such as myself school is a place where we can discuss our opinions about relevant issues. Many people believe discussing controversial topics in a classroom setting can be both beneficial and harmful to students. Some people argue having those discussions in a classroom will help the students better prepare for real world situations where they will have to defend their beliefs. Other people would argue that student having discussions like that would make students feel uncomfortable and attacked. I believe having those discussions in a classroom setting can be extremely beneficial; students will be able to learn how to properly argue for and against certain topics. A classroom setting like this will also provide student with
In class, again we discussed what a boring vs interactive class looks like. Mr. Marin’s class seems to be the engaging classroom we talked about in class. A lot of are class discussion is on engaging students. He doesn’t really use videos to engage students but we did talk about that being a thing. We talked about how being distracted could be very disengaging for the students. There is a no phone policy in the classroom which we talked about in class and was in the weekly reading response. What we could do about cell phones in the classroom. His approach is to have a complete ban as he was talking to staff about it in the film. There are other distractions in the classroom. Well each other. They distract each other which could be disengaging.
Writing is an important part of everyone’s life, whether we use it in school, in the workplace, as a hobby or in personal communication. It is important to have this skill because it helps us as writers to express feelings and thoughts to other people in a reasonably permanent form. Formal writing forms like essays, research papers, and articles stimulates critically thinking. This helps the writer to learn how to interpret the world around him/her in a meaningful way. In college, professors motivate students to write in a formal, coherent manner, without losing their own voice in the process. Improving your writing skills is important, in every English class that’s the main teaching point; to help students improve their writing skills. Throughout my college experience I have acknowledge that
She published in 2012 the non-fiction science book "QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can Stop Talking", which argues how modern Western society devalues the talent and abilities of introverted people. This book was continued in 2016 with the publication of "Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts", a book that focuses on introverted children and teenagers. In addition, Cain is a co-founder of Quiet Revolution, a company with initiatives in the children's area, lifestyle and workplace. Susan explains how introverts, representing a third of half of the population, are needed to do what they do best. Unfortunately, society confuses shyness with introversion. Cain says, "Shyness is about fear of social judgment.' Introversion is more about, how do you respond to stimulation, including social stimulation."(4:02) This stimulation is easy for extroverts because schools, work sites and institutions are designed for extroverts. Although introverts tend to be smarter, teachers believe that the ideal student is the extrovert. Cain shows how culturally society needs a balance and stop feeling guilty to introverts because of their way of being. Society must understand that it is good to be extroverted but that it is also necessary to have privacy, more freedom and autonomy. Susan's purpose is to convince the audience, especially people who do not believe in introverts, that an introvert can be
According to a 2001 Gallup poll, “more than 40% of Americans fear public speaking than death”, I was shocked to learn this statistics that I was not the only one. As I was pondering about what to write on my essay for my favorite school, I thought about my own childhood experience.