Sunday, May 25, 2025

Silence

 


As the first day began, I said, "Let's get started."
Then, we sat in silence.  Sitting in silence was awkward and unusual for most of us. Some students felt the need to fill the silence with a comment or a joke.  Clearly, this is not the way most of us are used to beginning a class, especially the first one of the semester.

What’s happening here? What are all of the thoughts that came to mind as I sat here in silence?

Sociology of silence
I like beginning the semester like this for two reasons.  First, I use this to show that most students already think sociologically, albeit in a simplified manner.  Sociologists analyze groups of people and how the people are shaped by the groups of which they are a part.  You have been a part of dozens of classes over the years.  You have seen firsthand how these classes begin every semester.  Nearly every class you have been in has started with the teacher standing in front of you and saying this is what you should or shouldn't do, etc... From participating in all of these first classes, you have begun to expect certain things from them. That is, loosely, what sociologists do; analyze people in groups and look for patterns of behavior and then analyze how those patterns affect people.

Unlearning what you have learned
Secondly, the silence is also a critique of modern education.  Education is a social institution.  Sociologists study institutions and how they affect people.  This critique of education came to me from Bernard McGrane's Book The Un-TV and the 10MPH Car. McGrane makes the case that students have been trained to follow and become good at school - but not at learning. Their curiosity and excitement for learning has been squashed by a system that rewards docility and conformity. Rather than taking initiative for their own learning, students expect the teacher to provide them with exactly what they need - "Just tell me what to do," is the attitude.
My class will ask students to engage in the learning; take part in the process. Our class will also ask students to share their own experiences and relate them to sociology.  We all learn from each other. We are all both teacher and student.
Keep a beginner's mind, an empty cup.


A meditation on silence.


Other impacts of silence.
What are the other ways we have learned to be silent and passive?


Checkout teacher Clint Smith speaking at a TED Talk about silence.  It is often our own silences that speak louder than our words.  This is especially true in a culture that teaches you to be a follower; to sit down and shut up and conform.  Watch that video.  
Think about the speaker's message.  I want you to find your voice.  To learn who you are as a person and to learn to speak up for what you believe in in an educated and meaningful way.


Questions this lesson should help you answer:
What is sociology? How does the silence experience exemplify what sociological thinking is?
What am I trying to reveal about education by doing the silence experiment?
If students are not passive, how should they be active?  What does good class discussion look like?
What do you think the most important qualities would be for someone working at Google?