Miscommunication and misunderstandings happen because of us and to us, if that makes sense. Sometimes my assignments are not clear enough, sometimes my students's questions weren't clear enough, sometimes I zone out and try to fill in the missing spots in a conversation or lecture, sometimes my students are still learning English, sometimes I just didn't take the time to do something right or listen completely. However, all of these instances are stepping stones to understanding, but only if we recognize them and ask ourselves what we could do differently and implement those changes.
What a philosophical blog. #deep. I feel like this could be really interesting as an assignment; writing about different misunderstandings within or across cultures, or even subcultures. Not only what they are, but what/who they effect and the significance of the misunderstanding and perhaps even it's evolution or continuance. Hmm. Maybe?
ReplyDeleteI can see that misunderstandings sometimes happen despite the best of my intentions. It is confusing to me when I try really hard to explain something well, and there are still students who either didn't understand or chose not to do something or zoned out on some aspect of something required. I try to put myself back in their shoes and realize how much is truly probably going on and how many things they are juggling at once, and the fact that I have a lot more experience than they do academically, so to expect things to go perfectly well doesn't make a lot of sense, because life is imperfect by nature. Still, to engage in self-reflection, as you suggested, can help, and is part of the whole process.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that misunderstandings are learning opportunities for us--as individuals and as instructors. Whether it be ambiguous wording on an assignment sheet or something that was taken out of context in a lecture, we are faced with misunderstandings almost everyday. It's unavoidable in many instances, especially within the classroom. How can you make a message of about an abstract subject clear to 25 individuals with different background experiences? Sometimes you can't and you have to rely on modeling and examples within the unit you're teaching. Sometimes the misunderstandings are something that hit you in the face. I remember earlier in the semester a student hadn't shown up to class for like 2 weeks, so I asked the class if anyone had heard from X. No one had, although they said that they often saw him on campus looking healthy and happy. I said something like, "Well, I'm happy he's healthy enough to come to campus." Someone else said, "We don't know what's going on in his life." My sincere happiness that he was in seemingly good health was taken as a slight against the student. Instead of wasting time arguing my intentions, I just agreed with the student who had spoken up, reassured students that they should approach me with issues about the class or attendance, and moved on with my lesson. The student's comments made me realize that even a show of sincere appreciation for a student's well-being could be misconstrued as a negative comment. Because of this, I have become more conscious in my commentary on student issues in class.
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