“Can I ask you a question?” students new
to me ask. I’m fond of answering (1) “You
just did!” (pa dum da); and, (2) “Of course not! I’m your teacher.” Blinks and winks. No one has ever questioned
this question before.
It
troubles me, not only because we have become so unaware of our language (a
topic addressed in other posts), but because it gives me, as the teacher, an additional
layer of power and implicit dominance, that is untoward: A student has not only
a right but a responsibility to himself, his teacher, and his classmates to ask
questions. I would place “Can I ask you
a question?” on the left side of the power continuum, what I’ll call the “left-behind”
side, where the student has the least amount of power (right above cowering
silence). For this post, we will focus
on the student’s point of view. Here’s
the continuum:
Student Power
Silence Can I ask? Discovery You Can’t Teach Me Silence
On
the other end of this continuum—what I’ll call the “I’m right” extreme is
hostile silence, falling asleep, and any of the rude behaviors with which I regale
you in The Rude Student. Right next to that is You-Can’t-Teach behavior
that attempts to wrest power from the teacher: statements and questions that
are meant to establish the teacher’s limitations and to assume dominance over her.
The student in this mode displays showing off behavior: bringing in topics and
angles on the discussion in order to distract attention from the general proceedings in the class and onto herself. We might
call this being “The Devil’s Advocate,” which might, without the will-to-power,
invoke the fulcrum Discovery mode. But too often, The Devil’s Advocate is
challenging the teacher, not ideas. This
bravado is meant to hide a deep-seated feeling of inadequacy, a translation of
the fear of the new, resistance to what might feel like a submission to
learning something that she didn’t know before. Another manifestation of this is the student who dismisses new ideas with such declarations as "I don't get it!"--meaning "it's not worth getting. You're wasting my time." Whereas on the left side of the continuum the student is mired in
inadequacy, on the other end the student is fighting to deny it. On the left-behind side we have untoward
submission, on the right, untoward dominance.
In
the beginning of my teaching career, when I was the director of a developmental
writing program—creating and coordinating courses in which students initially felt
stigmatized as unbelonging dummies—I committed myself to notice and to diffuse
power struggles in the classroom—to be awake to these dynamics and to replace
them with, what all the Because I Can Teach posts assume, learning environments
that are respectful, energizing, and geared toward mutual creation and discovery
of new ideas and skills.
So,
the fulcrum, the middle of our continuum, is what I call the “Discovery” mode—not
even the “Balance,” as that assumes a see-saw between “Left-Behind” and “I’m-Right.” In this mode, students relax their fearful
defensiveness to become active creators of knowledge in the classroom. Questions and ideas flow freely. Since there is no sense of “I’m better than
you” in either direction, we appreciate each other’s contributions and revel in
how we, in each meeting, become renewed.
To facilitate this, I model new ways of seeing and doing, and then
release students to working with each other.
Ideally, they will hardly notice me floating between groups, so
engrossed they are in their deliberations.
I
often say, “If I haven’t learned something new in a class meeting, then it wasn’t
a good class.” It means I repressed my
students in some way, asserted dominance in a way I abhor—squelching their
development. On the other hand, it is
also my devotion to notice when a student attempts to assume that position of
dominance, which is so corrosive to group dynamics. To help this student, who, in many ways, is
less well off than the Left-Behind, find a way to new learning and legitimate
power. Hence this blog post.
And,
yes, there are classes where the teacher is faltering—more interested in
asserting dominance, hiding his own sense of inadequacy. How can we, as students in such an environment,
look for a way to turn it around for ourselves?
How can we make our time in such a situation an opportunity instead of a
grind? (For one, we can watch how the
dynamics play out, as I am doing here.)
How
are you in the classroom? Where do you
place on the continuum of power? How can you get off the see-saw to renew
yourself? What happens when you ask yourself, “What new,
beneficial thing can I learn here, regardless?”
Works Cited:
Because I Can Teach Link:
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteThe approach I take in the classroom is: observe and listen. I like listening to the different opinions, thoughts and experiences in the classroom because I feel that is when I learn the most. I take notes and write down any ideas that I find interesting or could be beneficial to my growth as well as assist when writing an essay. I occasionally participate and share my personal views or experiences, although, I prefer just to take it all in.
My place on the continuum varies with each professor. If I have a very easy going and friendly professor who is very open-minded, I don’t feel like an authoritative figure is hovering over me. As a result, I tend to enjoy the class and make a genuine effort to attend every class and become involved. On the contrary, I have had a couple of professors who thrive on upholding a strict environment and being a “serious” professor. I have had one professor who was a Donald Trump supporter and constantly voiced some comments that I felt were selfish and inconsiderate towards individuals who had different beliefs then he did. In this environment, I felt like I did not have much power in the classroom and because of that, I would keep quiet in order to preserve the good grade I had in the class. I felt that this mindset was shared with my fellow classmates. For example, I comment would be made and no one would say anything in fear that it may affect their grade or their placement on his good side.
In addition, with his constant complaining about students and their work ethic, everyone was afraid that they would turn into “one of those students”. In this class, I definitely caught onto the power and authoritative approach that this professor took on which never made me happy to attend class.
I think that the professors who embody the “my way or the highway” attitude never hold any real control over their students. In fact, I feel that the opposite occurs, and students begin to resent the professor, complain about the teaching method, and eventually drop the class because they cant take it anymore.
The “control of everything” method never works, and I feel like the more professors that realize this end up revising their style of teaching.
-Alison S.
When reflecting on what side of the spectrum I typically fall into in the classroom, its closest to the left-behind side. I think that despite the classroom being a two way street, the teacher is the one that sets up the energy of the classroom. Out of everyone present they are in fact the most knowledgeable. They wouldn’t be conducting the class if they weren’t. So I try to be respectful of that, and assume the teacher is there because they are qualified to teach me something. But if a teacher is open to students, or cranky, that manifests itself in how receptive students are to the material and the class. I think it's all very subconscious.
ReplyDeleteI want to work on keeping the teacher’s energies at bay and not have it impact my attitude toward discovery. It can be hard to stay motivated towards learning when as a student I feel as though my teacher isn't quite putting out the right vibes, and not making me feel comfortable enough to ask more questions and be more engaged. Then there’s the Grade, hovering over the classroom, that impacts the dynamic even more. If your teacher doesn't like you if can definitely impact your grade, despite your efforts and the hard work you’ve put in. So I find myself subconsciously trying my hardest to not make my teacher angry, because it can impact my scores and I can’t help but worry when I feel I’ve done something to upset the teacher. These are all modes of thinking that have been drilled into me since I’ve been going to school, so it’s a challenge. But when the going gets tough in the classroom, I bear in mind the bottom line: I’m there to learn something.
In the classroom I am very whatever the teacher says goes. I do not argue it and I do not speak up. I feel as if their is no need to voice because most teachers don't care what students have to say. I show up to class to learn what they want to teach me, get a good grade, and move on to the next. On the continuum of power I am silence. Like I said I just sit in the back, do what I gotta do, and leave. I never was in a class that I felt as if the teacher wanted our voices to be heard except with Dr. Rich. Most of my teachers are robots and I have a feeling are just here for the checks. I would love to change my self for the better. I just feel uneasy speaking up to a teacher who doesn't want to be talked to. I don't want to waste my time and energy about something I feel so passionate about to a teacher who could care less. I feel unintelligent in some classes because teachers make us feel dumb for asking questions. I am learning to stand up for my right as a student my learning experience. Not only should I be able to ask questions and be more involved, but be excited to go to class and learn.
ReplyDeleteIn school, we were always told to ask questions whenever we were confused with something or if we were struggling with one of our subjects. However, after reading this article, I think it is interesting how there is sort of a power struggle in certain classrooms. There are the teachers who think they are always correct and know everything, it is their way or nothing; on the other hand, there are students who think they don’t need to learn anything because they already know what they need to know. They don’t want to listen to what the teacher has to say to them because they don’t want to expand their minds. I’ve witnessed a lot of this in college because a lot of students are strong willed and like to argue with the professor. They like to be the Devil’s Advocate, as you mentioned in the blog. I think the Discovery area on the continuum timeline is the perfect space for both teachers and students to be. In classrooms, I usually try to be in the Discovery section, where I allow the teacher to teach me new things, but I also get to put my input and talk about my discoveries during the class. A lot of times I am quiet during class periods due to my anxiety and I would rather take in the information than talk about it. However, I have been getting better at this and participating more in classes, telling the professor my discoveries because I think they are important and they should be shared. I always try to find new and beneficial things during my classes because I am always open to learning new things and keeping them locked in my head! I compare my brain to sponge a lot of times because I just absorb all kinds of information and put them into files in my head to extract whenever I may need them! Overall, I think it’s good to ask questions, but they sometimes hinder you from learning and discovering new things in classrooms.
ReplyDelete-Victoria Matthies
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteWhen I walk into the classroom, depending on the aura or vibes I feel when I enter the, they determines what kind of student I will be in that class. I am a very positive person but I think if I walk into the classroom and I feel bad vibes I will not be as present as I would normally be when the vibes are good. The only way my performance can change is through the lesson being taught or the discussion the class is having. I can be silent and engaged and still learn something that day. I always stay open minded to others ideas and even my own. I learned not to expect but to be free minded because you never know what you are going to walk away with. For example, in our Emily Dickinson course sometimes I may not agree with some ideas others have but I listen and pay close attention and try to see how they got there. It is better to try and understand than to be closed minded. Being dismissive is not a great quality to have because where will you get in life with that attitude? Therefore that is why I always listen, that is the key to growing up. To add, I firmly agree with you when you say “If I haven’t learned something new in class meeting, then it wasn’t a good class”. If I’m not learning something new then I believe I failed myself or the class must have failed me for unoriginality.
Best,
Anastasia
ReplyDeleteDepending on the atmosphere of the classroom, my behavior in my classes vary. I have had classes where the atmosphere of the classrooms were positive. My peers were friendly and hardworking, the lessons were organized and focused, and most importantly the teachers were welcoming and easy to talk to. Because of the teacher’s positive attitude towards that class, I was able to pay attention, be fully engaged, and participate in the class without overthinking. I also tended to be more interested and excited about the conversations going on in class which oftentimes lead me to not wanting the class to end and surprised by how fast the time went by.
Unfortunately that is not always the case for some of my classes. There were some days, like ones we’ve all had, when I didn’t feel comfortable in class and had felt overworked. There have been times I have had an overall bad day. This is usually caused by my own stress but sometimes the atmosphere of the class contributed to the gloomy feeling. This particularly happened in classes where the teachers were overly strict, disorganized, or were also in a bad mood. When I had classes like that my work ethic in the classroom often suffered for it. Instead of being engaged in the class, I find myself working rather slow and my participation not as high. I would start to overthink my work and what I was contributed which then causes my anxiety to go up and my day to get even more miserable. It also causes me to look at the clock a lot more frequently, hoping the class would end and then thankful when it eventually did.
Now looking back at the classes I’ve had in the past, it has become more evident that the teacher’s attitude towards the class really was a huge factor for determining if I was going to enjoy their class that year. For instance, in the classes I enjoyed the teachers were often in a positive mood and were welcoming. When the class started getting into deep conversations, even if they did get slightly off topic, the teacher seemed just as engaged in the topic as we were and allowed us to state our opinions about certain topics. If we answered a question incorrectly, the teacher would say something like “not quite” and then would ask the question in a way so we’d understand what they were asking or would ask us little questions that would get us to the correct answer. It was in teachers like this that it was clear that they enjoyed their job and enjoyed our class and in turn I was about to enjoy it as well. There wasn’t any clear position of dominance or if there was it was unclear to the students. The teacher treated us all equally. There weren’t any negative comments or putting others down. They were interested in the students learning.
Sad to say, not all of the teachers or classes were like that. In most of the classes I didn’t like were the teachers who were not in a positive mood or welcoming. Unlike the classes that let us get into a class discussion, these classes were too structured. If there was one thing that didn’t go as planned, we could tell that the teacher was not happy about it and our work often suffered because of it. There were some teachers, who were overly strict, especially when it came to the rules. For instance, there was one teacher who made students go back to their last class to get a pass because the student “was late” even though they walked in right as the bell rung. This was really ridiculous because they were wasting the student’s time and energy to get a piece of paper and miss more of the class then they would have otherwise. Instances like that, showed that the teacher was clearly trying to be dominant over their students, didn’t care if they were putting students down, and were not interested in the students learning the topic at all. It was all about the work. They cared more about what got done and how fast it was done than actually teaching and having the students learn. It was because of teachers like these that the enjoyment of the topic completely faded and I would dread going to class.
Anna Lee
Whenever i enter a new class, I observe the professor, my classmates, and the energy before i decide what kind of role I would play. I am a quiet person so I often stay quiet during the duration of the class. I do prefer to observe and listen because I do believe the teacher has dominance over the class. I am always more than glad to participate when the professors welcome it. But not surprisingly, a lot of professors do not care about whether a student is even hesitant to ask a question.
ReplyDeleteIt has been embedded in me that the teacher is the authoritative figure and they have the power to decide for the classroom. It has always been like that since i lived in my country, so that has been my mindset for a while. I have no interest in dominating a classroom or challenging a teacher. During my observation in the first few classes, I decided that if the environment will be healthy for my academic life. When I see or encounter a person who seemed to challenge the teacher in inappropriate ways, I drop the class because i know that the individual will hinder my studies and I do not want that to occur.
Priscilla Boa-A
At the beginning of each semester, I get a vibe of each new class, each new professor, each new classmate. And this vibe determines how much I engage in that class. There have been classes that I really enjoyed, and so I was very talkative and responsive. But there have also been a number of classes in which I was not. If I don't get a positive vibe from a class, that reflects what my vibe will be throughout the semester. I have been in classes where I literally did not speak on word to the professors nor my classmates. It's upsetting that this was ever the case, but it was.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Piaggio
I don’t tend to ask many questions. A professor will be lucky to get a hand raise or two out of me. I am content listening to other people’s questions and if I don’t know the answer to my question I usually know I can find it in the reading. Sometimes 5 students will each ask the same question but word it differently and I get annoyed that I’m sitting there listening to 4 people who clearly didn’t listen to the first question asked. Since I daze out quite often I’m not always sure if MY particular question was asked earlier or in the previous class. So instead of asking out loud and annoying my peers with a repeated question I’ll whisper and ask the peer next to me.
ReplyDeleteOn the continuum of power, I place it in the teachers hands. I am there to learn from you and you are there to give me the tools I need to learn with and without you. I don’t try to complicate the situation by covering inadequacies because those questions can usually be answered quickly by the professor leaving the student embarrassed. I’ll keep my uncertainties to myself and ask the professor later in private if the question I have is really irking me.
Dear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteFor me personally, as a student, I choose my role in the classroom very carefully. To explain what I’m saying, when it comes to choosing my role in the classroom, I must observe the environment of the classroom first. I must check to see how my classmates are and how my professors are; are they friendly, are they neutral or are they the type of people who do not really care. Without anything, I am a shy person. I do not like asking a lot of questions in front of my classmates because I do not enjoy when the whole classroom focus their eyes on me. It’s like being on the spot. The only way I open up to my true self is when I am in a classroom surrounded by people I am comfortable with. For instance, this semester in my Emily Dickinson class, when I indeed have a question, I don’t hesitate to ask it. I do not start with “can I ask a question”, I tried to change it due to the request from professor Rich. But, I ask my question because I like my classmates and I like you Dr. Rich because you are one of the few professors that actually care about the students and their questions and comments. And for that I say thank you. Thank you for listening to my comments and my questions. I am really grateful.
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteThis post is very meaningful, and I found myself smiling while reading it. As you have so graciously mentioned, I am bright in the classroom. I love being in class, and participating. I have always been the type of student to raise my hand an answer, even when nobody else answers. I just cannot help myself, and I have learned that i have enough courage for an entire class! So just because I cannot help myself by participating in the class, this is not a bad thing. Sometimes, writing papers (depending on the subject matter) is not my forte. However, if I click with the teacher and the teacher goes the extra mile to accommodate not just my learning style but every student's learning style, then I am golden. I have always been that way, as far back as I can remember. I thought from a young age that perhaps it was not a good thing. However, over the years I have learned to accept this - and that - it's not a terrible thing! Each and every student is different - and I appreciate that - because that is part of what makes education diverse which is an ultimate goal of a good teacher, even if they are a future teacher. If no questions were asked, how would lessons progress? How would students get closure on specific subject matter? And most importantly, how would students learn if they did not ask questions? Better yet - how would students learn if they were only asked questions?
This post is super important to me because I am going to be a teacher. Throughout my school years I have had many different types of students. I have had the lecturer that teaches directly at you and doesn’t want to be asked questions, I have had the hand outer that lets work sheets teach you, and I have had the open teacher that welcomes your questions and lets you collaborate with others and learn together. Unfortunately the first teacher I described are the most common. These are the teachers you are scared to raise your hand in the their classrooms. These are the teachers who will dismiss any ideas that don’t fit with theirs. These teachers assert their dominance over the classroom like a fire breathing dragon ready to incinerate anyone who causes a disruption. Then there are the teachers who assert no dominance and their classrooms basically become a study hall or lunch room. I think the best classroom is that collaborative one that allows thought and discovery. This was Vygotski’s main theory, that children learn more socially. If you are hearing another persons thought process you are learning from them and making it your own. Collaboration is giving students some power in their own learning. Of course there needs some sort of teacher power as well so that the classroom does not become a study hall. I think there is that happy medium thatt can be found I the classroom so that you can reach that stage of discovery.
ReplyDeleteI'll never forget the first time I said this to you, "Can I ask you a question" .. and I still do it occasionally, but it was really breathtaking because it's so true. Why wouldn't I be able to just ASK the question? Why am I asking to ask the question? That doesn't even make any sense to begin with? Why do we do that? Hell, why do we do half the shit we do to begin with? Because as, another thing I've learned from you, we're trained this way. We're taught that we need permission for SO many things that it's absolutely ridiculous that we don't have our own power. It's a damn shame that we can't take control. I love that you're there as a guidance and not our professor. It's not right that someone is there telling us what to do as we sit here and spend thousands of dollars through college. It's absolute bullshit. I think that every classroom needs some sort of power. But as long as you know that there are mature adults in your classroom, then there should be no problem.
ReplyDeleteNancy Koster ENG4817
One of the many things that I love about Writing Poetry class (and any creative class that I have been in this semester) is that there is a sense of true equality and open-mindedness. Most other courses has the professor as the all knowing being who can teach us about the content. Although this is true to some extent, there is also something that you can learn when you open yourself up to new ideas, experiences, and questions. Teachers who automatically say that the student is wrong because they didn’t do the assignment or question in the professor’s specific way (Math, I’m looking at you) really irks me because I know there should be more than one way of doing things. Getting from Point A to Point B isn’t always a straight line. If we followed what we learned from other people and never opened up to any new concept, we would not have the Pythagorean Theorem.
ReplyDeleteCreative courses have professors who know that although they are smart and knowledgeable in the subject matter, there is always more to learn. We, as human beings, should always strive to be a student everyday. There is just so much out there that we have not discovered yet and to think that a single person has all the answers to the world’s problems is incredibly naive. No matter how intelligent you are, we can consistently count on the perspectives of others to help solve new complications that may arise (just look at Greta Thunberg and Leonardo DiCaprio -- difference in age, but both are incredibly powerful and inspirational in what they do in their efforts to save the planet).
I, myself, am learning how to accept new ideas. In class, my brain constantly seems to create a power dynamic of who is better than I, which, in some cases, is both good and bad. This makes me learn from what others have written and learned, but also puts me and my own work down in the process. I am actively learning and trying to turn my thought process around to say, “I am growing. I am a beginner. I am learning and that’s okay.”
Dear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI believe I am somewhere in between the two ends of the continuum when it comes to the classroom. I go in with the need to ask questions but not in a submissive kind of way but in wanting to learn and self-regulation kind of way. I have noticed plenty of times when you have replied to a student “Of course not, I am your teacher!” and then you wink to ease the student who looks puzzled. I then realized through observation NOT to ask “can I ask you a question?” because I understood it was unnecessary. However, I would like to know if you think there is also something incorrect with stating, “I have a question” before the question is asked. If I get off the see-saw, I feel as though there might be something wrong with saying that too because there need not be an introduction like that in a class where questions are meant to be asked and the student should not feel the obligation to say that. Though I wonder if saying “I have a question.” is a verbal way of raising my hand to ask a question. I would love to hear your input on this. Furthermore, I believe the last sentence in your blog says much of who I am as a student and my outlook on being a future teacher, “What new, beneficial thing can I learn here, regardless?” because if I can take at least one thing away from a situation then I am growing as a person and giving opportunity not only to the teacher but to myself by not giving up too quickly.
I am so guilty of asking this question, but not because of a power dynamic, but because I feel a lot of times, before I ask my question a teacher or person I’m having a conversation with, will eventually come around to answering that question regardless if I asked or not. So in terms of what end of the spectrum I fall, I’d like to consider it a nice middle ground. I don't want to simply blurt out the question without any regard on how the discussion/lesson is going to progress. But then again, if i don't ask, we might move the discussion/lesson in a direction that’ll lead to my question never being answered. In the future I'll avoid asking this question, and hopefully a simple raise of the hand will be sufficient.
ReplyDelete-Christian Paiz
AWP Spring 2020