From “No” to “Tell me more”: How to Foster Students’ Initiatives

Hannah Harris

In the undergraduate composition course I teach, students have a great deal of flexibility to create projects using a combination of audio, visual, and video. Over the past year teaching this course, I have grappled with responding to students’ project proposals. I have a natural tendency to question students’ rationales for a project based on my interpretation of my rubric and the constrains of the project. Gradually, I have started to move from saying “No” to “Tell me more” when I respond to students’ ideas. The typical sequence to prepare for a project is a four to five week unit. At the start of a unit, I review the rubric for the project and share previous students’ examples. Midway through the unit, students write a brief 300-500 word proposal for their project on their blogs, which I respond to with comments. Projects are also discussed in whole class conversations or groups when appropriate, and students frequently ask individual questions either after class or during office hours. Below, I outline the main guideline that I have adopted to foster students’ initiatives and the benefits of doing so.
                One key to promoting students’ autonomy is to use consistent language throughout a unit. In either oral or written feedback, I have found that using consistent language about expectations helps students understand my feedback. Without consistency in instruction and commenting practices, there is a potential imbalance of expectations that favors teachers’ voices over students. To empower students in the writing process, Sommers (2013) reinforces the importance of creating a common language when commenting. Doing so will allow for a transition of ideas, “That comes from the class rather than one that is imposed on them, connects and unifies various elements” (Sommers, 2012, p. 7). The main idea that I try to connect to students’ plans and the the course objects aligns with a “Tell me more” attitude. Rather than vetoing a project proposal, I value students’ thoughtful and playful engagement with the course theories.
Finally, I want to focus on the benefits of pausing to listen to students’ ideas. In conversations or in written responses, I ask students to clarify their ideas, expand upon an aspect of the project, or essentially “Tell me more”, so I can listen to their idea and understand their thought process. Nancie Atwell (1987) shared a story of the benefit of listening to students as well. One student consistently rejected her feedback on their writing assignment, and she conceded to the students’ preferences to write outside of the assigned genre. Nancie later learned that the narrative was written as a way for the middle school student to express his feelings about his early childhood experience of moving and leaving behind familiar friends. She recounted that, “When we sit quietly, wait, and listen, our students will tell us what they're trying to do as writers” (Atwell, 1987, p. 65). The theme of listening to students is foundational to successful collaboration between teachers and students, especially when there is hesitation or resistance from students.
As I wrote in the introduction, I have struggled to wait for my students to formulate their ideas. When I have told a student “No” to a certain project, it was because I was uncomfortable with how the student bent and stretched the directions that I had envisioned. As I have begun to consistently listen more to students’ ideas, I have been pleasantly surprised with the depth and diversity of thought that has gone beyond the scope I initially imagined. While there are a variety of different teaching contexts, I believe that the “Tell me more” approach is helpful at all levels of learning. A consistent use of terminology and language will give students the autonomy to critically integrate ideas. Before making an assumption when there is pushback, the “Tell me more” mentality will help teachers listen to students and give them the time and space they need to express their ideas.
 
 
REFERENCES
Atwell, N. (1987). In the middle: Writing, reading, and learning with adolescents. Upper Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook.
Sommers, N. I. (2012). Responding to student writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

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Hannah Harris, MA-TESL Teaching Assistant at UIUC

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