I have three points to raise:
Certainly the idea of "status" comes into play with a person's
ability to speak up. Not only whether they are the "student" in a
student-teacher relationship, but whether they are an "A" student, or
barely passing the class, whether they are regularly late b/c they
work before class, whether they are differently abled, or bring an
infant to class.... there are a zillion different variables that may
play into a person's "status" in the classroom. My view is that a
student with a good standing in the class would be more likely to
speak up -- their thoughts have probably been reinforced in teh past
with good grades, feedback from teh instructor, etc.
I also think that gender is a factor here. I still have
conversations (and classes recently) in which males dominate the
discussion. This is definitely not an attempt at male-bashing
here...just a statement of my experience. So perhaps that takes me
back to....sorry I forgot who shared her experiences at a
conference...Mary perhaps? Anyway, this takes me back to her
comments several months ago regarding voice and being silenced.
Lastly, the instructor makes the world of differnce in this
situation. I agree with Judy here (I hope it was you, Judy that
stated this! Sorry....looks like I need to keep better track of who
is saying what!). Obviously, discussion classes typically foster much
more student input as opposed to lecture formats. However even
within this dichotomy, individual differences in the teacher's style
make the world of a difference. I have had classes with 1-200 people
in which I asked more questions, and had more interaction with
classmates than in classes of 30-40. I would think that SOME
teachers welcome student input and "learning from students" as much
as SOME students like sticking out their necks, raising their voices,
and hoping to be respected for their opinions.
Lisa
(forgive the typos! my hands are freeeeezing...which is surprising,
given that I live in a hot desert! However the building has a 'mean'
air conditioning system...)
Lisa J. Taylor
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
email: psyljt who-is-at psych.utah.edu OR psyljt@freud.sbs.utah.edu
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