March 26, 2017 - 14:04
For my research project I am examining silence in the classroom. I wanted to connect this weeks annotation with my research project.
I really enjoyed this journal article because it reflected on the many different types of connotations that silence in the classroom provides for educators and students. For students, the article discussed how silence in the classroom means different things in grade school in comparison to higher education. The author explains how students are taught in grade school that being silent means that "you are paying attention" or "you are listening to the teacher". In higher education, silence is perceived as not knowing the material as verbal participation is requested from the student. Although the author focused on the differences between grade school participation and participation in higher education, I liked how the article addressed how teachers, administrations, and the schools themselves as institutions fail to give or provide space for students who feel like they are being silenced in their learning spaces. The article also discussed how educators should learn from the silence in their classrooms and figure out ways to have a healthy mixture of verbal and non-verbal participation.