Quiet Students? Their Fear of Talking is Real

Image Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The last two authors (Parker Palmer and bell hooks) we studied got me thinking about students’ fears and how those fears can prevent students from participating in class discussions. In this week’s reading assignment, we also learned about communication apprehension (CA), which points out that this type of fear is associated with “real or anticipated communication” (Waldeck et al., 2010, p. 162). Students with high CA are less talkative, and others often misinterpret that behavior. Unfortunately, teachers and students may think these quiet students are incompetent or unintelligent (Waldeck et al, 2010), which is a shame.

If we suspect students suffer from high CA, we should create activities to encourage them to communicate and help them overcome their anxiety; however, we should also check our own behavior towards them because, according to Holbrook (1987), lack of attention could reinforce their low self-confidence.

Great Ideas from Faculty:

Setting Expectations. Faculty advisor Nicki Monahan suggests we set clear expectations on the first day. She explains the importance of having all students contribute to the discussion right from the beginning. Instead, if we do all the talking, we are giving the impression that faculty members do all the talking and not students. Click here to watch Monahan’s enlightening video (Magnapublications, 2014).

Image Source: Twitter.com/HTXTeach

Disclosing Fear. Houston teacher “HTXTeach” discusses fear with his students. He shares his fear, and his class opens up about their fears. What a good way to launch a discussion, right?! His method reminds me of hooks’ comments that teachers must take risks and “share confessional narratives” (p. 21)—especially if we expect students to do the same.

Generally speaking, I wonder if students behave in the same way in all their classes. For example, if a student’s fear prevents them from talking in one class, will that same fear automatically impact their behavior in their other classes? What are your thoughts?

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Resources

Holbrook, H.T. (1987). Communication Apprehension: The Quiet Student in Your Classroom. ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills. Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-926/quiet.htm

hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.

HTXTeach (2015). Twitter. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/HTXTeach

ImageryMajestic (2012). College Student Holding Notebook Stock Photo. ID 10096918  FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Retrieved from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Learning_g376-College_Student_Holding_Notebook_p96918.html 

Magnapublications (2014). How Do I Include Introverts in Class Discussions? YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnFoRPqkQeo

Palmer, P. J. (1998/2007). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. San Francisco: Wiley & Sons.

Waldeck, J. H. , Plax, T.G., Kearney, P. (2010). The Sage Handbook of Communication and Instruction. (Chapter 9). Los Angeles: Sage.

The University’s Purpose: Should We Focus on Teaching or Preparing?

If you had to choose, would you say that the purpose of universities is (1) to teach students or (2) to prepare students for their future? I think universities provide something valuable: a higher education. I also think most people understand the important relationship between higher education and professional careers. Employers certainly see the connection (Donaldson et al., 1999) and so do parents (Ellis, 2012).

When I researched university mission statements, I was surprised to find several of them do not mention “profession” or “career.”

Mission Statements that Mention Profession or Career
University Name	Yes or No
Amberton University	no
Baylor University	no
Rice University	no
Texas Tech University	yes
Texas University in Austin	yes
Texas Women’s University	yes
University of North Texas	no
University of Texas in Arlington	no

Back to the original question, I believe universities must prepare students for careers. The reason they invest in higher education is to gain skills that make them marketable and help them get “good jobs.” As a bonus, students will also study topics outside of their future profession, which helps to expand their knowledge base. (Click here to participate in a pole on this topic or to see what others are saying.) Both are important; however, if universities only teach students (without actively preparing them for their future), how valuable is the end result?

Universities can prepare students for their future by guiding the way they relate to material. In higher education, we should do more than teach information; we also need to help students think on their own so that they are valuable to future employers. We can do this by helping students open their minds, think creatively, and learn to apply their “new” knowledge in real-world situations.

Here’s what experts tell us  about preparing students for their future:

• Connect with the subject and students, and then help students “learn to weave a world for themselves” (Palmer, 1998, p. 11).
• Encourage dialogue to understand their experience level and to have them reflect on situations (Freire, 1970).
• Create experiences that engage students and help them grow (Dewey, 1938).
• Disclose personal examples that show students “how you apply material to your own life” (Dannels, 2015, p. 128).
• Be willing to acknowledge differences and be humble and authentic in the dialogue (Dannels, 2015).

Bottom line: Earning a degree is an investment of time and money. Students (and parents) think their ROI will be worth it. Let’s help students prepare for their future. Raise your hand if you agree.  

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Resources

Dannels, D.P. (2015). 8 essential questions teachers ask: A guidebook for communicating with students. New York: Oxford University Press.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Collier.

Donaldson, J., Hinton, R., Nelson, L. (1999). Preparing students for life: The school-to-work reform movement. Horizon. Retrieved from http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/issues/papers/School_to_Work.html

Ellis, B. (2012). Parents to college kids: Live at home, get a job. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/29/pf/college/parents-college-debt/index.html

Friere, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum.

Palmer, P.J. (1998). The courage to Teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

“What’s the purpose of universities? Is it to teach students or prepare them for good jobs?” (2013). Debate.org. Retrieved from http://www.debate.org/polls/what-is-the-purpose-of-universities-is-it-to-teach-students-or-prepare-them-for-good-jobs2/?cid=F520E9BC-284D-49A8-A30E-8EBBADF0FCC9

Teaching: We Enjoy It Today, But What About Tomorrow?

Last week when I began studying Freire, I was reminded of a documentary I once saw: Waiting for Superman by Davis Guggenheim. This film talks about reforming the educational system. . .So, I watched the documentary again and began thinking how tough it would be to teach in that environment. As graduate students studying pedagogy, we know the goal should be to help students gain knowledge. Eventually, we will earn teaching jobs, but we may work for a school system that doesn’t have our same focus. We are motivated now, but how will we feel after teaching for a few years? How will we stay motivated? 

Experts and other professionals have advice for us (as future teachers):

Image Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

·   

     Inspire your students to learn and give them hope. Mr. Kevin Bibo, Assistant Principal in CA, is motivated by listening to his student’s ideas. He also adds that he acts as if the “best days are still ahead of us.”

• Side Note: Freire would probably point out that dialogue is a necessary part of Mr. Bibo’s method. Without dialogue, teachers won’t know what kinds of experience and knowledge students already have; therefore, they won’t know how to help them grow.

·    Participate in stress management programs. Dr. Deborah Kipps-Vaughan, Associate Professor in VA, suggests teachers “participate in something for themselves,” such as stress management programs sponsored by the school. If the school doesn’t offer a program like this, teachers should talk with the principal or school psychologist.  

• Side Note: Dr. Kipps-Vaughan also points out that principals will often need to encourage and motivate us, as future teachers, to participate in these type of programs. One reason we might need this encouragement is because (in this situation) we become the “student” who needs to learn to manage our stress, which is a new skill. 

·    Avoid “we” vs. “them mentality. The U.S. Department of Education suggests that everyone (teachers, school administrators, parents, etc.) work together to build trust. We do this by identifying common values, getting to know each other, and collaborating.

• Side Note: We also learned from Plax and Kearney (1990) to remove the “we-they” culture because it alienates people and puts others on the defensive. We want to join students in their academic journey—not just narrate at them. Freire (1970) would agree with these ideas; he wrote about getting away from the teacher-student contradiction by engaging in dialogue.

Discussion Question: Did you see the documentary? If so, what do you think about Ms. Michelle Rhee’s efforts?  

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#disclosureanddialogue

Resources:

Bibo, K. How to Find Inspiration to Teach. Teaching Community. Retrieved from http://teaching.monster.com/education/articles/7799-how-to-find-inspiration-to-teach

Chilcott, L. (Producer), Guggenheim, D. (Director). Waiting for Superman (Motion picture). (2010). United States: Paramount Pictures.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Bloomsbury.

Kipps-Vaughan, D. (2013). Supporting Teachers Through Stress Management. Principal Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/principals/January_13_Teacher_Stress.pdf 

Rawich (2011). Blackboard Stock Photo Image ID 10025967. FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Retrieved from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Education_g314-Blackboard_p25967.html

U.S. Department of Education. (2013). We’re all in this together – Getting rid of “us” vs. “them.” Homeroom. The Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://blog.ed.gov/2013/10/were-all-in-this-together-getting-rid-of-us-vs-them/ 

Lopsided Class Discussions? Do This to Get Them Talking.

A common concern with teachers is generating meaningful classroom discussions (Dannels, 2015). Both teachers and students need these discussions to happen: As teachers, we need these discussions to evaluate what they’ve learned, as well as to decide what we need to do to help them grow (intellectually). Students need to actively engage in discussions because it helps them articulate what they’ve learned, as well as to “test their ideas and opinions” (University of Pittsburgh). When only one or two students dominate the discussions, we might be able to evaluate those students, but these lopsided discussions leave out the rest of the learners. To involve everyone, we should consider incorporating technology to get students talking.

As a graduate student, I attended a course where the professor, Dr. Chris Lam, used a survey tool to generate class discussions. 

Here’s how it worked:

Source: PollEverywhere.com

1. The students completed their reading assignment and came to class prepared to discuss the topic.
2. During class, Dr. Lam asked us to connect with the survey tool (either through our desktop computer or our smart phone). This part takes about one minute.
3. He told us we had to answer, and then he read a question that made us think. For example, a question might have looked like this: “If  you were editing a document that was poorly designed, would you (a) edit it and not mention anything about the design issues;  (b) edit it and redesign the document; (c) edit it and mention that you think it needs to be redesigned?” … If students asked Dr. Lam for clarification about a question, he wouldn’t give additional information.
4. Each student selected an answer (using the computer or smartphone) without discussing their selections.
5. Dr. Lam used the SMART Board to display the survey results, which looked like a bar graph. (The survey tool immediately generates the results.)
6. Everyone could see how many people selected each answer (“a”, “b”, or “c”), but nobody knew who selected each answer.
7. Dr. Lam generated excellent discussions: “Raise your hand if you selected “x”. . .Tell us why you like this answer.” He went through each possible answer before giving his own opinion. Then, he moved on to the next survey question and did the same.

Two great takeaways: (1) Every student participates by selecting an answer. This activity is a good way to make the less talkative students share their opinions. (2) Teachers can create vague survey questions to encourage critical thinking skills, as well as to discuss the course topic.    

The survey tool we used in the example above was Poll Everywhere, and it offers a 30-day trial period. Several other survey tools are available for teachers.

Discussion question: As graduate students, what do you see your professors do to generate discussion?

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#disclosureanddialogue

Resources:

Dannels, D.P. (2015). 8 Essential questions teachers ask: A guidebook for communicating with students. New York: Oxford University Press.

Poll Everywhere. How it works. PollEverywhere.com. Retrieved from https://www.polleverywhere.com/how-it-works

University of Pittsburgh. The Importance of Class Discussions. Retrieved from: http://www.speaking.pitt.edu/instructor/class-discussions.html

Encouraging Growth: Students Adapt to Real-World Situations if They Learn Critical Thinking Skills

As future teachers, we should find ways to promote creative thinking and problem solving skills because they are rarely taught, but these skills will have a big impact on students.  Svinicki and McKeachie explain that it’s not enough for students to gain knowledge without relating that 

Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

knowledge to the real world—otherwise students won’t know how to use “it” when they leave the academic environment. They have difficulty remembering what they “know” because the situation differs (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2011).

Young children will take chances because “they are not frightened of being wrong” (Robinson, 2006). As they get older, they take fewer chances, and that’s where we can make a difference. We can encourage them to think for themselves and to creatively work through situations. Robinson puts it like this: “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come 

up with anything original.” (Click here to watch Ken Robinson’s Ted Talks video.)

Source: Ted.com

To encourage students to think for themselves (and to promote their critical thinking/problem solving skills), we can create an environment that demonstrates those kinds of discussions. Dannels (2015) suggests we do the following to get students to participate in discussions:

• use warm-calling techniques to encourage reluctant students to talk
•  present a problem and have students find multiple ways to solve it
• use brainstorming techniques to generate ideas 
• welcome students to express their opinions

Even though the academic environment seems to educate students to become good workers instead of critical thinkers (Ken Robinson, Ted Talks), as teachers, we have multiple opportunities to improve their thought processes and creativity. In fact, we can make a big difference in our students by helping them gain critical thinking/problem solving skills and by giving them the platform to use these skills.

Discussion Question: What are some additional ways teachers can get their students to participate in discussions that promote critical thinking/problem solving?

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#disclosureanddialogue

References:

Dannels, D.P. (2015). 8 Essential Questions Teachers Ask. New York: Oxford University Press.

Robinson, K. (2006). Do schools kill creativity? Ted Talks. Retrieved from  https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity#t-722279

Sixninepixels (2011). Image ID 10047318. FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Retrieved from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Learning_g376-Computer_Classroom_p47318.html

Svinicki, M.D., & McKeachie, W.J. (2011). McKeiachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers (14^th Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ted Talks. (2006). Image of Ken Robinson and Ted Talks video. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity#t-722279