Eugene makes an interesting move when he first brings up "silence in the
classroom" from among the possible "tacit background contexts" of our
discussion of silence-right-here and then goes on to read "the classroom"
as The Traditional Classroom where the students are bolted to the floor,
without the option to unsubscribe. The gradient between compulsoriness and
voluntariness is of course an important aspect of discourse settings, as is
the gradient of co-presence... there are many relevant dimensions of
similarity and difference.
I do get more curious about the structurations of silence and speech in the
non-traditional classrooms that you have been teaching towards for so long
now, Eugene, than about directly comparing the XMCA and the most rigidly
structured classroom we may encounter.
=46or one thing, I think that current research is finding more varied option=
s
for participation (or non-participation) in the interaction even in
"plenary segments" of classroom activity -- I read in my daily newspaper a
couple of weeks ago that "classroom order" is popping apart "even" in Japan
these days.
On the other hand, I cannot help wondering about THIS electronic medium and
the way that asymmetric participation structures keep emerging without
anybody's intent. Wasn't this the medium where "floor" is not a scarce
resource, everyone can "talk" at the same time, etc?
Well, I won't ask what you all think, because I'll just be copying
Eugene... but I'm curious anyway.
Eva