Listening To The Silence: A Phenomenological Inquiry Of High School Students' Classroom Silence

As a common phenomenon in classroom,classromm silence often be treated as a "self-evident" phenomenon. It likes a silent "ghost" which influences the curriculum's implementation and operation. However, classroom silence tends to be regarded as a negative phenomenon in both the practice of the curriculum reform and the academia. This research was aimed to re-understanding the high school students' classroom silence, focused on the students' classroom silence experiences, to revealed it's essence.Lived experiences is the starting point of phenomenological research. The study adopted the method of phenomenology, and in the way of conversational interviewing,the lived experiences anecdotes writing and object gathering to collect material.Through analyzing those anecdotes' themes,then it explored the classroom silence 's essence and pedagogy meaning.The study found that high school students' classroom silence experiences characterized by the following six aspects:First, Classroom silence as a negative response. Student cannot clearly hear and understand the questions may make the students fear, helpless and shy,so that they keep silence to response negatively in class,so does a shy personality;Second,classroom silence as a classroom participation. Although students keep silence, but they still involved in class by listening to other students and self-reflection;Third, classroom silence as a silent resistance. Through classroom silence,students express their dissatisfaction of teachers, resistance of leaning and abreaction;Fourth,classroom silence as a self-protection. To protect personal dignity, "face" and their interests, students will keep silence in class;Fifth, classroom silence as a habit. Students are used to keep silence in class,even be apathetic about it, to be a bystander and audience;Sixth, classroom silence as a secrets. Keeping silence means keeping secrets,It's the birth and hide of students' inner world which makes the self-identification.Based on the phenomenology exploration of high school students' classroom silence experiences, it found the classroom silence's essence and pedagogy meaningas follows:.First of all, classroom silence is an important access to understanding the students.Thought re-understanding the classroom silence,we can re-understand the students' inner world,and discovery the new students,so thar we can create a good relationship between teachers and students; Second, the silence and talk are symbol tools of communication between teachers and students. The silence, as a way of students' expression, still help students to participate in class.Sience is just an silent expression; Finally, the classroom silence is an important index of adjust the teaching strategy for teachers. Through the classroom silence,teachers can make a tactful adjustment. Thus,the article draw the following recommendations: establishing new concept of classroom silence, listening to the students' classroom silence, creating the language of education and the new relationship between teachers and students. In the last part of this thesis, had reflect the usualness of daily teaching life and the construction of students' identification.