This autoethnography traces the ten-year journey of one teacher’s interest in and exploration of the experiences in English classes of high-achieving quiet students. Named Quiet Intellects (QIs), these students rarely or do not speak during the many district- and curricula- mandated evaluative tasks in my district that demand their oral contributions.
To understand the reasoning that may have led to the current emphasis on student voice in my district, I first investigated the historical place and purpose of student talk in English classrooms. I reviewed extensive conversations I had with English department colleagues that were meant to help us understand the impact of our district’s call for more student talk on our quiet students. From there, I conducted a critical observation of one common English department assessment driven by student talk.
Finally, I compiled and analyzed the information obtained from a decade of discussions with QIs regarding their experiences of mandated oral tasks. QIs call into question the value of collaborative learning, articulate clearly their preference for writing over speaking, and bring to light the lack of preparation and coaching available for tasks that require speaking.
Additionally, my study suggests the existence of two distinct groups of QIs. The silence of one group seemed to be driven by the pressure within the environment of the English classroom of high-stakes assessments requiring their oral contributions, which heightened their fear of peer and teacher judgment, error, and conflict with classmates when they spoke. These students proved to be quite talkative outside of the classroom.
The second group, on the other hand, were quiet in all speaking situations, even with close friends and family members. Further investigation is needed, but this study emphatically demonstrates the need to interrogate classroom routines, practices, and curricular edicts for student evaluative tasks that favor sound over silence, demand student talk, and contribute to the silence and silencing of QIs. In the meantime, a balanced pedagogy that teaches skills of silence in tandem with skills of speaking is essential in a society that respects the sense and sounds of all voices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/w9k0-rn24 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Corvino, Mia E. |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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