Example B - STUDENT (NON-)PARTICIPATION IN WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

Setting: a class of 25 MA English language teachers (mainly international students from China, Korea, Japan) (Edwards, 2005)

The Puzzle:

Whenever I addressed a question to the whole class, very few volunteered to answer. I thought this strange in a class full of experienced teachers studying at masters level, even after reflecting on possible reasons, such as different cultural norms. I felt their reluctance to speak in public was preventing them from sharing views or comparing experiences. I wanted their views and explanations. An EP principle is that the focus should be on exploring puzzles rather than solving problems; although my puzzle was also a problem in my view, my aim was to discover why it was occurring, rather than to move straight to seeking a solution.

The Method:

During the last five minutes of class I distributed very small post-it notes, asked my question, and then asked students to write answers on the note, which they should leave unsigned. They stuck completed notes to a sheet of paper as they left the room at the end of the session. A principle of EP is that it should be conducted through normal teaching activities: I regularly use mini-post-it notes to gather ad hoc student feedback on ongoing course satisfaction, things students would like to ask or tell me etc, so these students were familiar with the technique. Furthermore, as it took only 5 minutes of class time, it did not distract us significantly from the main business of the course.

There were several repeat responses, e.g. 'I think that my opinion might not interest my classmates.' I grouped these and typed them up to return to the students, adding comments and extra questions of my own. The whole thing fitted onto two sides of A4 paper and took me about 30 minutes. See example

I distributed the collated comments before break for further discussion / post-it feedback. Then something unexpected happened: After break, I had anticipated discussing my further questions, but this was pre-empted by one of the students immediately saying 'We've just been discussing the sheet you gave us' and another interrupted and said 'Yes, and personally, I think it's important to speak out in class, it's just that I felt embarrassed to, because we aren't used to doing that back home.' A third chimed in, 'Yes, it's the same for me, and to be honest, when I read these comments I was really surprised to find so many others felt the same way as I did. We were talking about that, and we've agreed that we should make an effort to speak out. Now we know we are not alone in our feelings, somehow it makes it easier'. It suddenly felt as though a cloak of tension had been lifted from the group. The awkwardness we had all felt had evaporated. By involving the students, the problematic aspect of the puzzle had been resolved.

Observations, Reflection and Interpretation

The understanding gained was not just the relatively superficial one that 'I am not alone in my anxieties about speaking out in class', but the deeper one that it was OK to talk about the classroom processes that were all participating in, and that doing so somehow broke down the conventional social barriers between teacher and students; a new sense of openness and mutual trust improved the quality of classroom life for all of us, and the remainder of the course was far more relaxed, and discursive, than the initial sessions.

Implications

Open discussion of classroom processes among student teachers in a culturally diverse classroom (possibly initiated through a non-threatening medium, like the post-it note written feedback) is a powerful tool in promoting understanding of our own classroom and classrooms in general, not only in terms of the specific process explored, but through the very act of exploring a process, we are confronted with the benefits of involving all participants in exploratory practice.

Reference

Edwards, C. Student (non-) participation in whole class discussion. Paper presented at University of Birmingham Learning and Teaching conference, 4th February 2005