Notes

Modern Education Experts Profess Value Of Silence - Why Librarians Ignore
My unpleasant experiences in today's libraries (both academic and public) have led me to search out the source of what I perceive as a serious problem in modern education. The problem is noise, specifically the noise of human vocal interactions in places once revered as sanctuaries of silence.

It might come as a surprise to some individuals who modern librarians no longer guarantee generally quiet atmospheres for introspective learning. A lot more surprising is the fact that these librarians shun silence, while they actively endorse what they consider livelier, more engaging learning environments.

From the perspective of an adult who understands learning as a deeply personal affair, this relaxed attitude towards noise in libraries is disabling. The truth of excessive noise in once-quiet spaces, thus, raises the question, "What went wrong in the minds of educators who now lead the charge in a battle against traditional quiet?"

My Answer

In the same way classical values in the visual arts fell out of favor under the forces of popular, na�ve revolts against perceived authority, so have classical values in education fallen out of favor under forces of similar na�ve revolts. The process appears to have taken just a little longer in education, however the end result may be the same-a vacuous, relativist philosophy whose proponents denounce all authority by using authoritative arguments contrary to the concept of authority itself.

A number of visual artists now realize that this outdated, cyclical contradiction has gotten civilization nowhere, except lost and desiring meaning.

As get more info and a separate library user, I see daily evidence of this civilization lost to itself. I see people desperately lost in their own noises, sadly ignorant of their inner selves, and disturbingly inconsiderate of other people around them. I, therefore, suggest with confidence that the perfect of relaxed noise standards in modern libraries is not standing up well used.

While some education experts argue convincingly and only noise in the learning process, other experts (with a far greater grasp of intellectual processes) argue and only quiet.

An Underlying Flaw

In this posting, I list five peer-reviewed, scholarly papers compiled by contemporary education experts whose educational values pose challenging to the values guiding today's librarians. Beneath each paper's citation, I list my interpretations of the authors' details.

Angelo Caranfa (2004). Silence As The Foundation Of Learning. EDUCATIONAL THEORY 54 (2):211-230.

The many arguments in educational literature are flawed, since they exclude silence from the studies of teaching which they are based.
Both self-knowledge and discourse originate alone.

An environment of wonder, contemplation, and listening is revealed by way of a "language without words."

We are at risk of becoming mere appendages of noises our machines make, and also mere appendages of our own verbal noises that people grow to depend on superficially, no longer defining ourselves through our decisions, our actions, and our judgments.

Defined by our noises, we become incapable of listening and incapable of talking to any depth.

True learning will not take place when it is connected primarily with noise, profit, and utility.

Education based on silence teaches students to believe logically, critically, and with sensitivity for your of things.
Angelo Caranfa (2006). Voices Of Silence In Pedagogy: Art, Writing And Self-Encounter. JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 40 (1):85-103.

The failure of liberal arts education is in its exclusion of feelings and in its exclusion of silence from the processes of reflection and thinking.

Teaching is as much about listening as it is about speaking.

Silence encloses everything, including spoken language.

Feeling, intuition, imagination, and contemplative silence are necessities in learning or in knowing.

Continental philosopher, Maurice Merlot-Ponty argued that language does not give true, genuine knowledge of the visible world, but rather robs the world of its invisible essence. Consequently, any knowledge or language that ignores or de-emphasizes silence is inadequate.

When the flatness of mechanistic thought is permitted to rule, we cannot go through the depth of unfathomable existence.

An "aesthetic of silence" teaches us to pay attention in ways that integrate the intellectual, moral, and spiritual dimensions of our lives. The best shortcoming of educators is their failure to teach that there surely is more to knowledge than what we are able to tell.

An "aesthetic of silence" teaches us to tune into others.

Prioritizing the spoken word suppresses the transformative, creative power of personal knowledge gained in contemplative silence.
Ros Ollin (2008). Silent Pedagogy And Rethinking Classroom Practice: Structuring Teaching Through Silence Rather Than Talk. CAMBRIDGE JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 38 (2):265-280.

A poor perception of silence causes a cultural bias favoring talk, which establishes underlying preconceptions about what constitutes participation and interaction.

Formal learning in Western civilizations emphasize the worthiness of talk, and this value remains relatively unchallenged.

Creative, productive interactions may appear where there is absolutely no talking.

Educators should create a distinction between activities that genuinely promote learning and activities (used unquestioningly) that promote other agendas.

"Social" learning theory has been confused with "sociable" learning theory.
Michael W. Shelton and Karen Shelton (1992). Silence Please: Silence As AN ELEMENT Of Interpersonal Communication. Conference paper presented at the Joint Meeting of the Southern States Communication Association and the Central States Communication Association, Lexington Kentucky, April 14-18, 1993.

Silence itself is a form of interpersonal communication where we say something by saying nothing. Two-way conversation, in fact, requires it.

Many original Americans (i.e., most American Indian tribes) honored quiet and discouraged profuse or promiscuous use of words. For these original Americans, the area between words was the realm where people develop character, self-control, courage, patience, and dignity.

check here who later came to dominate the culture dispensed with the reverence for quiet, placing great emphasis on verbal communication, and frequently treating silent members of an organization because the least influential members.
Michalinos Zembylas & Pavlos Michaelides (2004). The Sound Of Silence In Pedagogy. EDUCATIONAL THEORY 54 (2):193-210.

Ignoring the worthiness of silence in education comes at a cost, to the individual also to society.

Respect for silence in education encourages humility, a sense of wonder, respect for the self, and respect for others.

"The existing educational system in the West is rooted in 'fear of silence,' that is one reason the understanding of silence in negative terms prevails." (p. 208)
CONCLUSION

These five papers document the fact that a mature outlook towards the worthiness of silence in speech exists. The existence of such a mature outlook, however, when confronted with its ignorance by modern librarians, suggests that an immature value system is shaping modern libraries. This popular, immature outlook, furthermore, is gaining great support from leaders who place more value on sustainable business than on true education. Beneath the influences of this immature outlook, people responsible for operating modern libraries measure success in accordance with a lowest-common-denominator satisfaction scale, where profitable operation strategies sacrifice excellent education standards.

� 2011 Robert G. Kernodle

Robert G. Kernodle can be an independent artist and thinker living in Greensboro, NEW YORK. His art philosophy and world-view are explained at http://robertkernodle.yolasite.com/. He has also written on a variety of subjects, including modern libraries, at
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