Deborah Tannen

In Deborah Tannen’s “How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently”, her message is clear. There is a strong presence of debate style learning in the classroom and, while this approach is preferred by most men, it leaves most women at a disadvantage. Tannen determines that a change is necessary. She suggests “small-group interaction” instead of the current “monolithic classroom-participation structure”. Splitting the class into small groups for discussion, the teacher will improve the students’ learning experience. The students, who are anxious about talking for the whole class to hear, will have a chance to speak in a way that makes them feel more comfortable. To end, Tannen encourages a change to “more-diverse methods” of teaching students. I believe the teaching style she is suggesting would be valuable. However, I do not fully agree with her on why the change is necessary. Students are in a class to learn. A teacher’s job is to teach in a way that is as beneficial to as many people as possible. Group discussions are a great way for students to study and understand a topic together. Personally, I find putting

She felt that the main problem was the differences between how men and women communicate. I know women who prefer debate and men who enjoy open-ended discussions. The real problem is that people, in general, prefer to communicate in different ways and a teacher must keep that in mind when teaching. Tannen also appears against debate. However, it is both discussion and debate that fully solidifies a new topic in one’s mind. Without have what you believe questioned, you will be left with a very shallow understanding. Critical consideration of other people’s views builds onto your own knowledge. Mixing both debate and discussion, a teacher would do more to benefit