I've been reading some parts of Women's Way of Knowing, and have come to think quite a bit about silence. I think that we often think of silence as an indication of something negative--oppression, powerlessness, lacking "voice." However, I have come to wonder about the power of silence. I am intrigued about the power we have when we choose not to speak. After all, silence is not an indication of not having a perspective--a thinker can very well have an opinion that s/he is not sharing. Actually, silence may sometimes be the courageous choice--silence can be difficult (think about meditation!). I think that that for me, the important issue is just that--choice. Thinking about the Fifth Amendment, in which we can abstain from sharing information that could be self-incriminating (forgive me if that's not quite right; that's outside of my discipline), there is great power in having the ability to choose not to share (although silence can say a lot too). Thus, in a learning environment, while it is acceptable, and perhaps powerful, for someone to choose silence, it is unacceptable for someone to be silenced, whether explicitly or subtly. Is it okay though, for students to be silent in the classroom? I think the easy answer is that it is okay to be silent sometimes, as long as the learner shares sometimes and is (almost) always actively listening. However, we may need to think about this more critically.
In my own educational experience, there have been times when my personal history has prompted me to share a lot, because I sensed that my personal insight would be beneficial to the learning community. However, there have also been times when my personal history has caused me to not share at all. Sometimes, for example, I am just not in the mood to be the "Black voice"--which I feel I am often called to be (perhaps I am not, but I certainly sometimes feel like I am) as the only Black person in the room. I am curious to hear what others think about student silence in the classroom. How do we know if students who are not sharing are silent by choice or because they have some feeling that they cannot or should not share? Perhaps one way is by inviting them to speak, but maybe that's not enough. If I really were an oppressed learner, a mere "Natalie, would you like to share?" may not quite do it for me. Clearly, I do not have any answers, but I am going to do more reading and more reflecting on this somewhat paradoxical issue of silence.
In my own educational experience, there have been times when my personal history has prompted me to share a lot, because I sensed that my personal insight would be beneficial to the learning community. However, there have also been times when my personal history has caused me to not share at all. Sometimes, for example, I am just not in the mood to be the "Black voice"--which I feel I am often called to be (perhaps I am not, but I certainly sometimes feel like I am) as the only Black person in the room. I am curious to hear what others think about student silence in the classroom. How do we know if students who are not sharing are silent by choice or because they have some feeling that they cannot or should not share? Perhaps one way is by inviting them to speak, but maybe that's not enough. If I really were an oppressed learner, a mere "Natalie, would you like to share?" may not quite do it for me. Clearly, I do not have any answers, but I am going to do more reading and more reflecting on this somewhat paradoxical issue of silence.