Silencing Learning

When is "Get Quiet!" Actually Silencing Learning?

As an elementary school teacher, I hear two words more often than any others, "No Talking!"  No talking in line, in the hallway, for the first part of lunch, in class, in the gym, at dismissal.  Seven hours a day we are asking...no expecting and enforcing...this notion that quiet denotes something critically beneficial is happening for our students.  Truth is, we silence them because the chatter can be grating at times.  We silence them because we are afraid that if an administrator or parent or colleague should walk by our classroom full of noise it might appear that we do not have control over our classroom. 

But what are we really saying? 
"Be quiet, your voice is meaningless."  
"Be quiet, your thoughts are invalid."  
"You are not worth listening to."  
"You have no power."

I charge that a quiet classroom is a scary place!  We, as adults, talk and collaborate all the time.  We talk, tweet, facebook, blog, and text (and sometimes all at the same time) when we are expected to be listening to administrators or professional development.  It is how we do these things that should be the concern.  Are we sharing ideas?  Highlighting pertinent points?  Asking for clarification?  Are we seeking a deeper level of understanding? 

For this educator, the answer is yes!  I have learned to listen and share ideas simultaneously and thus create for myself a learning experience that far surpasses passively sitting quietly and listening to someone deliver information to me.  I am actively engaged in the lecture, presentation, or conversation! 

Why then, do we not expect students to want to, be able to, or have the social tools to do the same?  Why are we afraid to hear their voices?  When you charge a student with the task to try to solve a social issue, you WANT him/her to believe that his/her voice and opinion, his/her ideas, are valid, worthy of consideration, and powerful enough to affect change.  How can we expect students to become academic risk takers, citizens who speak up against bullying, problem solvers, and secure people if we are constantly asking them to BE QUIET!?  How can we expect students to write effectively and eloquently enough to excel (or sometimes just to pass) the state assessment if they have minimal experience expressing, refining, and listening to communication and thoughtful academic dialogue?  It seems counter-intuitive to expect them to journal a reading response, or critique, or math problem explanation, or scientific conclusion if they do not practice expressing their ideas in a variety of ways. 

Some of the most meaningful lessons learned do not come from the curriculum nor the teacher.  They come from the students themselves...when they talk...to others...about their learning.

I understand that there is a time and place for quiet.  Students need to be respectful and attentively listen when another person is speaking.  They need to respect the time others have in the classrooms down the hallway as sacred learning time that should not be interrupted unnecessarily.  But there is such a thing as too much quiet.  And if we continue to demand silence, we just might get what we ask for.  And THAT is a frightening future indeed.

Inspire Authentic Learning

How do you inspire greatness in your students?

Fail.  Disappoint.  Make Mistakes.

Everyday we find ourselves in that critical moment where the spark of authentic learning potential will either fizzle out or ignite into something that will rage joyfully in the minds of the children we teach.  We are given daily opportunities to affect a change in their lives, but how do we recognize that moment?  How do we prevent ourselves from being the ones who stamp out that flame?  Our focus is often distracted by AYP, NCLB, and state standards, but if we are teaching with passion--if we teach from our souls--those distractions will become non-issues.  It really is as simple as that.  

As teachers it is our purpose and our obligation to fail, disappoint, and make mistakes.  

 

We must fail to stop learning, fail to become complacent, fail to be satisfied with our work.  Our world changes at a rate faster than technology ever thought about, yet so many teachers continue to "do what worked last year" simply because it worked last year.  We should always think, "New moment, new student, new opportunity to grow."  

We must disappoint those who truly believe that "those who can do, and those who can't teach."  We must rise above the naysayers and those who would have us be less than we are and can be.  Disappoint anyone who argues that there isn't an art to extraordinary teaching and that our educational system is being left behind by the rest of the world.  

Finally, me MUST make mistakes.  Make them daily...in front of your students...and let them engage in a solution with you.  It is a necessary tool in learning to struggle through a challenge in order to find authentic learning.  Model that it is okay to make mistakes, to get do-overs, to keep trying and failing and trying again.  In this world of instant gratitude THIS alone is one of the greatest gifts we can give our students.  

We are held to expectations that can, at times, seem overwhelming and unfair.  But if we set expectations for ourselves that surpass those by which our state and district set for us...if we hold ourselves accountable to the much higher standards our children deserve...then there really is nothing to prevent us from inspiring greatness and recognizing that moment to fan the flame of learning.

Tuesday October 2, 2012

Joli Barker