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 seek out the foundation of what I perceive as a significant problem in modern education. The thing is noise, specifically the noise of human vocal interactions in places once revered as sanctuaries of silence.

It might come as a surprise for some people that modern librarians no longer guarantee generally quiet atmosp here s for introspective learning. A lot more surprising is the proven 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

Just as 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 procedure 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 idea of authority itself.

Several visual artists now recognize that this outdated, cyclical contradiction has gotten civilization nowhere, except lost and desiring meaning.

As both an artist and a dedicated 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 folks around them. I, therefore, suggest with confidence that the ideal of relaxed noise standards in modern libraries isn't standing up well in practice.

Although some education experts argue convincingly and only noise in the training process, other experts (with a lot better grasp of intellectual processes) argue in favor of quiet.

An Underlying Flaw

In this posting, I list five peer-reviewed, scholarly papers written 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 BECAUSE THE Foundation Of Learning. EDUCATIONAL THEORY 54 (2):211-230.

The countless 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.

A world 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, as well as mere appendages of our very own verbal noises that we grow to depend on superficially, no longer defining ourselves through our decisions, our actions, and our judgments.

Defined by our noises, we become not capable of listening and incapable of talking to any depth.

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

Education predicated on silence teaches students to believe logically, critically, and with sensitivity for the whole 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 all things, including spoken language.

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

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

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

An "aesthetic of silence" teaches us to listen with techniques that integrate the intellectual, moral, and spiritual dimensions of our lives. The greatest shortcoming of educators is their failure to instruct 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 INSTEAD OF Talk. CAMBRIDGE JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 38 (2):265-280.

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

more info in Western civilizations emphasize the value of talk, and this value remains relatively unchallenged.

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

Educators should make 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.
read more . Shelton and Karen Shelton (1992). Silence Please: Silence As A Component 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 really a form of interpersonal communication where we say something by saying nothing. Two-way conversation, actually, 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 space between words was the realm where people develop character, self-control, courage, patience, and dignity.

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

Ignoring the value of silence in education comes at a price, to the individual and to society.

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

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

These five papers document the point that a mature outlook towards the worthiness of silence in speech exists. The existence of this type of mature outlook, however, when confronted with its ignorance by modern librarians, shows 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 in charge of operating modern libraries measure success according to a lowest-common-denominator satisfaction scale, where profitable operation strategies sacrifice excellent education standards.

� 2011 Robert G. Kernodle

Robert G. Kernodle is an independent artist and thinker surviving in Greensboro, North Carolina. His art philosophy and world-view are explained at http://robertkernodle.yolasite.com/. He has also written on a number of subjects, including modern libraries, at
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