How do you respond to a student’s response? What do you say that indicates you are hearing the words and the being who is before you?
This came up in a higher ed course last term when we were practicing some mini-lessons. It occurred to us that when participation got going, our responses to students were “yes,” “good,” and “right” above all else. And these responses were rather automatic — encouraging, but automatic.
The pre-service teachers noted that they felt rather awkward in that moment and asked how I responded to students.
When we ask a great question (and give them time to gather their thoughts), yes, lots of hands go up in the hair. And if you are a no-hands class, than many voices fill the room (which is better than crickets at times). It can be rather beautiful, but are the students really being heard, are we just catching answers or are we receiving the students, as Noddings might say?
After I pondered my own practice, I certainly had to admit that there are times that I field answers. But I do teach and model active listening skills early in the school year, and over time, we all get better at receiving responses and one another.
Active listening encourages the listener “to feed back what they hear to the speaker, by way of re-stating or paraphrasing what they have heard in their own words, to confirm what they have heard and moreover, to confirm.”
During discussions, I try to sit among the students so that they don’t direct their responses just at me but respond to one another.These are some phrases we practice at the beginning of the school year, which become more natural as the year goes on:
- What I hear so and so saying is this, and I’d like to add on because…
- I am not sure what so and so means, can you say more…
- I am curious so and so, where did this idea come from…
- Tell me more…
- What makes you say so?
- How did you discover this?
If we think of students responding rather than students answering, teachers and students might be more inclined to engage in a conversation, which should (I hope) take us closer to receiving the ideas and experiences of the people with whom we share this great place we call school.
How do you think about questions and responses when you teach so as to value a student’s humanity?