So I thought about how I learn and how I think my students learn. And I pictured myself being a student in my current classroom (or myself in a past classroom) as an elementary student. What was it like for me then, or what is it like now for them. Two parallel spaces happening years apart, but still the same. Assume a student is quiet by nature. He/she will be drowned out by someone who is not. The quiet student will be listening....to the teacher, to the other students, and then making decisions on IF and WHEN they themselves will participate...or will not participate. Or will they just "tune out"? So what would the teacher assume? Quiet students may be listening, but not understanding? Quiet students will not do as well as outspoken or witty students? Quiet students may have a learning disability that is yet to be uncovered? Or will the teacher think....maybe the others talk too much? Maybe others are dominating the conversation and taking the class into their own hands. Or maybe the teacher may feel he/she is not facilitating the discussion well enough to allow for other learning personalities the time to prepare an entrance or a space to be involved..........Much like a roundabout...many cars entering, only the pushiest drivers cruise through at breakneck speeds while the "quiet drivers" wait for their space to go. Or maybe not everyone has to say something everytime? Is that okay too? Do I do this in my class? Do I let or provide enough opportunities for the quiet students to speak even though they may feel outnumbered or even "less-learned" than the talkative students...who can say a lot but mean less?
Reading your post brought me back to my own experiences in class. I was not a fan of classes that listed "class participation" as a component of grading. Class participation then meant offering opinions or facts in front of classmates. Just like any other class, there were students who spoke out - a lot! They would offer anything from cogent, analytical thought to barely understandable opinion. They weren't shy - but I was, so I barely spoke. This meant I didn't have a voice because this was usually the only discussion venue.
ReplyDeleteFlash forward to the 21st century class, and now I find the same thing happens in a face to face class. I still don't offer much opinion - I usually need to think about how I want to phrase something and by that time, the opportunity to speak is gone. The one difference, though, is that now, opportunities to be heard are presented in blogs or forums. That's where I find myself most comfortable and most likely to offer an opinion. I thought I never had opinions when I was a kid - turns out I did, I just didn't have a venue.