Silence at school: Uses and experiences of silence in pedagogy at a secondary school

Abstract

Silence infuses all aspects of our daily communications: what we say and what remains unspoken; those to whom we speak, and those we ignore; those we trust and respect, and those we do not. In the school environment, interactions between students and teachers lie at the heart of pedagogy. This relationship is also marked by its silences, and the concept of 'student voice' arose out of these silences on matters that affect students. However, the role of silence in such interactions has yet to receive comprehensive attention. This article presents the findings of a study on the uses and experiences of silence in the classroom with secondary school students aged 14-15 years and their teachers. Drawing on nine group discussions and 33 interviews with 20 teachers and 35 students, respectively, I argue that an oversight of silence in the student voice discipline has obscured the power dimensions of student voice, and the injustices that become visible when different forms of silence are illuminated. I argue that there are two core ideas which emerge from the findings: firstly, that silent practices manifest in two distinct paradigms of productivity and listening which function as expectations of teaching and learning; secondly, that the conflation of the listening paradigm with respect demonstrates the capacity of silent practices to reinforce the division between teaching and learning to become mediums of injustice. I conclude that this dichotomous relationship between pedagogy and student voice requires a pedagogy based on a critical examination of respect.

Seen and not heard: Students’ uses and experiences of silence in school relationships at a secondary school

“…Data were analysed using thematic analysis Clarke, 2006, 2012). As the implications of silence for teaching and learning are reported elsewhere (see Hanna, 2021), this paper reports the findings of the study on silence in the context of school relationships, beginning with the motives and intentions which underpinned practices of silence, before reporting both students' and teachers' individual uses of silence. The twin themes of power and authority, and respect and dignity, which transcend these findings, are explored in the discussion which follows.…”

“…Applying silence to respect. Whilst the central relevance of silence to respect in pedagogy has been reported elsewhere (Hanna, 2021), respect was also a crucial form of silence when considering relationships in school. The concept of respect was a foundation of the Discipline Policy which was built upon respect, for one another and for authority.…”

“…Of course, it is necessary to recognise that some uses of silence are overwhelmingly positive, including the creation of respectful spaces where students and teachers actively listen. Nevertheless, whilst acknowledging the considerable literature on the centrality of positive relationships to behaviour management in schools (see, for example, McCluskey, 2014; McCluskey et al, 2013; Munn et al, 2009; Sullivan et al, 2016; Slee, 1995), this paper builds on previous reporting of data on silence in teaching and learning practices (Hanna, 2021) to illuminate how silence may be powerful and political, how it manifests itself in resistance and defiance, and what this means for school relationships.…”

“…Largely, student silences were to facilitate the discourse of the teacher, a phenomenon discussed by Hanna (2021), which could indicate both submission and defiance where ‘stylized sulking’ challenged authority and saved face in front of peers, often turning loss of face back on the teacher (Gilmore, 1985: 148). Whilst Bruneau’s taxonomy illustrates how teachers in positions of authority use silence as a display of strength and power, students in Gilmore’s study similarly used it as a refuge or defence and a means of saving face.…”

Learning Relationships and the Entanglement of Sound and Noise

“…There is irony in this comment sounding like it came from a teaching adult. Saffron had expectations of good or respectful engagement, familiar to the hegemonic discourse of silences and talk experienced in classrooms (Dernikos, 2020;Hanna, 2021). However, Saffron struggled with what she saw as lack of reciprocity -"you keep tryin'" while Penny explored reciprocity as a gift of space to think.…”