Thursday, December 16, 2010
English Discussion
Today, I looked forward to English, as I knew that due to the band and strings concert, more than half of the class would be gone. I felt confident as I walked into the room because I was sure that I would talk a lot more than usual, and I knew I would get a good discussion grade this week. Much like some other blogs I have read, I struggle with class participation points and force myself to talk in class. But today, I felt that with such a small number of students, I would get the opportunity to speak multiple times. However, contrary to my anger second semester last year from being a member of the largest class, I believe that such a small group made it more difficult for me. I do appreciate the days when the room is split in half and the discussions are smaller, but then again, the loud buzzing from the other group makes me feel like there is less attention put on me when I talk. However, today the room seemed empty as I stared at more than half of the unoccupied desks. I believe that if the class was usually this small, I would be more comfortable talking, but it seemed so unfamiliar to talk with a small group. Overall, shocking as it sounds, I feel more comfortable talking with a large class than a small one.
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I actually agree, Hannah, with a smaller group it seemed like there was a bit more pressure on us to think of smart things to say, and there were a lot more awkward silences. I liked that the discussion didn't feel like a feeding frenzy, but without the pressure, it was a little bit harder to focus. I like getting the opinions of all of our classmates, even if it means talking over people.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not in your English class, I did get to be a part of a small class second semester last year. When I found out the number of students in the class (10 I think) I was extremely excited as I thought I would feel much more comfortable talking in a really small class. I can remember numerous times when Ms. Serensky would have to bring up a discussion topic during a graded discussion because we had just sat there blankly and silently for five minutes and even when we did talk, the discussions seemed quite boring, as each person would offer a very simplistic idea. Ms. Serensky always referred to our class as the "weird class" because even before the bell rang, we sat in silence. I am not sure if this weirdness was due to the quietness of the individuals in the class or if, like Sarah said, with a smaller class people felt more pressure to think of smart things to say. Regardless of the explanation, I am thankful that this year I am in a very talkative and opinionated class, even if it means being occasionally cut off mid-sentence by a classmate.
ReplyDeleteI agree in some ways, but also disagree. I agree that it can seem awkward at times with a small group. Even, for example, within the various writing group I have been in, at times we find run out of topics to discuss. We blankly stare at each other trying to think of something quickly to blurt out and wait for the other groups to quite down. However, overall I like a smaller group much more. I love the days when we split into two groups to discuss rather then fight to get a word in during the whole class discussions.
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