Are you silent in your class?

Do you actively participate in class discussions? If yes, you can skip this section. If not, read this article written by a writing teacher in San Francisco area and find out "Why are the Asian-American kids silent in class?"

Also, visit here to read my article that talks about the similar situation.

Excerpts:

1. From Carol Tateishi's article

If we believe that the use of language is key to classroom learning, what might it mean if the class includes Asian-American students, such as Jeff, and significant numbers of them do not participate or participate minimally day in and day out in the oral discourse of the class? How does their nonparticipation in the active talk of a class affect their learning, or does it? Why don't they participate? What do they understand about the purposes of these orally rich classroom activities? What role might their cultures and home language practices play in their nonparticipation? And, does it matter?

2. From Daniel's article

However, taking into account differing cultural perceptions, if you do not articulate your opinion whenever opportunity arises, you will experience Jane's frustration. Class participation, through its built-in features of discussion and critique, improves student's social and presentation skills, increases the retention of class materials, and enhances quality of work.