I teach two middle school level conversation classes on Tuesday nights. They both use books in a series entitled “Talking, Talking!” which provide 2-3 page long articles on various topics which should, in theory, inspire discussion.
One class gets very excited about (most of) the topics. They get very animated and very loud, often interrupting each other and often reverting into Korean when they have a point they really want to make but for which they lack the English words. With nearly all the topics we’ve discussed thus far, I’ve had little trouble maintaining a discussion for the entire 45 minute class period.
My other class sits quietly. When general questions are asked to elicit discussion, they continue to sit quietly. If I ask an individual student a question, he or she will answer as briefly as possible, and then return to sitting quietly. They do not “discuss” anything with me, much less with each other.
So which class contains the better students? Well, if you take a look at their grades, written work, homework, grammar skills, etc, you will find that the second class contains the better students. In fact, that class is our school’s Honors Class. So why do the students in our “best class” sit there like bumps on a log, while one of the lower level classes engages in spirited discussions?
According to Gwen, this is a result of years of Confucian educational indoctrination. According to Confucian education philosophies, “good students” sit quietly and respectfully, absorbing the information imparted to them from their teachers. Discussion is discouraged. Meanwhile, students who question their teachers, are talkative in class, and who are willing to share *their* opinions, are considered disrespectful.
One class gets very excited about (most of) the topics. They get very animated and very loud, often interrupting each other and often reverting into Korean when they have a point they really want to make but for which they lack the English words. With nearly all the topics we’ve discussed thus far, I’ve had little trouble maintaining a discussion for the entire 45 minute class period.
My other class sits quietly. When general questions are asked to elicit discussion, they continue to sit quietly. If I ask an individual student a question, he or she will answer as briefly as possible, and then return to sitting quietly. They do not “discuss” anything with me, much less with each other.
So which class contains the better students? Well, if you take a look at their grades, written work, homework, grammar skills, etc, you will find that the second class contains the better students. In fact, that class is our school’s Honors Class. So why do the students in our “best class” sit there like bumps on a log, while one of the lower level classes engages in spirited discussions?
According to Gwen, this is a result of years of Confucian educational indoctrination. According to Confucian education philosophies, “good students” sit quietly and respectfully, absorbing the information imparted to them from their teachers. Discussion is discouraged. Meanwhile, students who question their teachers, are talkative in class, and who are willing to share *their* opinions, are considered disrespectful.
4 comments:
Maybe you should see if you can move some of the students to the other class so you can get both classes talking!
Here in Sweden in a program with mostly European students I feel like a stereotyped loud American because I talk more in seminars and ask more questions in lectures than anyone else. We're SUPPOSED to talk in these things, but everyone is too reserved or something. I force myself to talk less sometimes because I'm afraid of bugging everyone. :-(
Alas, the parents of the Honors Class students would reject the idea of their children being placed in a class with lower level students. I also get the feeling that even if the two classes were combined, the talkative kids would remain talkative, while the silent ones would remain silent. (There are actually two silent kids in the talkative class who, like the "honors" kids, only respond to direct questions.)
Wow, the Silent As Death class redux! Are you allowed to play games or do role plays that would force everyone to speak? Maybe Kelli's roll-a-coversation game with the dice would work.
I experienced a sort of similar issue earlier this semester. My first class is always animated and interested in the discussions we have, whereas the second class would just sit quietly and not respond to my questions.
When I graded the rough draft of the first paper, the second class' grades were substantially higher. However, when the final drafts were graded, the first class ended up doing better, because they were more inclined to listen to my suggestions and do the work their papers needed.
Of course, this is Texas, not Korea, so there is probably a difference in philosophy, too. So maybe the situations aren't that similar.
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