tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post9107286354769519993..comments2024-03-26T23:57:42.268-04:00Comments on SpeEdChange: Enabling Voiceirasocolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-12542984216384000192008-05-22T19:08:00.000-04:002008-05-22T19:08:00.000-04:00and Paul: Absolutely. Giving Voice. It would surel...and Paul: Absolutely. Giving Voice. It would surely make the world a better place because...<BR/><BR/>as Penny points out - this is not a disability issue, it is human issue.irasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-30457410575234824252008-05-22T16:43:00.000-04:002008-05-22T16:43:00.000-04:00Too rigid? Nah. Especially not in your university ...Too rigid? Nah. Especially not in your university environment. There - I actually think everywhere - part of enabling voice includes learning not to step on the rights of others. Plus, universities are - more or less - voluntary. <BR/><BR/>Most of this post is about K-12, of course, but I'll add that I think it is essential to encourage student voice at every level. Part of that is instructional tolerance and part of that is lowering the risk of speaking out and speaking differently.<BR/><BR/>- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-30861747161954485942008-05-22T16:35:00.000-04:002008-05-22T16:35:00.000-04:00Dear Ira,You said: "A huge part of the solution is...Dear Ira,<BR/><BR/>You said: "A huge part of the solution is instructional tolerance - the willingness of teachers to accept real differences in learning and communication styles within a single classroom - the willingness of teachers to give up control over what students are doing every minute (an essential concept behind the effective use of personal Information and Communication Technologies - which cannot be used or personalized if too tightly controlled)."<BR/><BR/>The problem with this statement is that there is a middle ground. We have to give instructors the benefit of the doubt as much as we do the student. Why? I know many instructors who value communication and individual voices as much as you do. But, in my experience (and I'm pretty tolerant), many students using personal communications devices often communicate with folks outside the classroom about topics that have nothing to do with why we're ALL in class in the first place.<BR/><BR/>We have to balance instructional tolerance and having voices with some degree of focus. Instructors have to offer a program and draws one's focus, and students have to sacrifice and pay attention.<BR/><BR/>I hope I'm not being too rigid here. I do appreciate the larger points of your post. <BR/><BR/>- TLTim Lacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896230254720822005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-72290503100884748042008-05-22T11:03:00.000-04:002008-05-22T11:03:00.000-04:00Even as a "typical" student who had a lot of fun i...Even as a "typical" student who had a lot of fun in high school, I realized the importance of having an opportunity to develop my special "voice." I never would have mustered the discipline for all the math and science classes I took if I hadn't had band to look forward to every day. It took up some of my study time, but it also energized me and made be a better student overall.<BR/><BR/>I think about that when I hear about school rules that kick kids out of their extra-curricular activities if their math grades aren't high enough. (And then there's the budget cuts that take music, art and theater away from everyone, but that's for a separate rant.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-48992184171952374882008-05-22T10:47:00.000-04:002008-05-22T10:47:00.000-04:00"...the most important thing you can do for studen..."...the most important thing you can do for students is to enable their voices, and to value their voices."<BR/><BR/>This sums up what ought to be the prime imperative of all "educators", including teachers, parents, and others. <BR/><BR/>This fundamental principle is really something I believe we need to practice in all of our relationships.Paul Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01594007631592685010noreply@blogger.com