Friday, September 10, 2010

silence. constructive or crippling?



this blog is quickly turning into 
a recap of
but sometimes i can't help but share 
interesting things i find over there.

like this
one of the first ever articles i've encountered
that praises silence in the classroom.
not the communist sort of 
take-everything-as-is
and don't express-your-own-opinion
sort of silence

but the kind i am more familiar with-
silently listening and reflecting 
in the classroom
forming my own opinions
but only rarely sharing them.

i don't entirely endorse remaining silent in the classroom
it's something i struggled with throughout my school career.
only in my last years of undergrad and now the first year of my masters
am i making a big effort to break my habits.

in fact, 
my experience as an english teacher in france,
made me look at my own classroom habits
in a new way.
i can see the value of participating in the classroom,
what it can add for students and teachers alike.

even so, 
i felt like the author was talking about me 
in the article
and in a different way, from my report cards which constantly read
'she needs to talk more in class'
even though now I can see, that i agree with those teachers and their comments
i just was in the middle of figuring out how to find my voice.

what about you?
do you/did you have an active voice in the classroom?
silence.
is it constructive or crippling?


alli

No comments:

food for thought.

Related Posts with Thumbnails