"Engaging Absence With Dialogue" by Ron Sheese

I must admit, when reading through this article the first time I was terribly bored; however, when I gave it a second read, it really seemed to make much more sense to me. Basically, what the author is saying is that as opposed to blaming student absence on different reasons, teachers should be encouraged to look at the REAL meaning of why students are absent. The author recommends looking at various factors to determine whether certain elements, such as fear of making an error or gender bias, contribute to absenteeism. He states that this will help us understand the TRUE meaning of why students are absent, as opposed to some common misconceptions such as assuming that absence is based around ignorance, laziness or stupidity. The author then goes on to explain the concept of “meaning space”. What I have come to understand about meaning space is that it is a set of beliefs or traits that you determine “what really matters” to you. The author believes that by looking at the discrepancies between meaning spaces, we may be able to more accurately define why our students find the class meaningless and do not want to attend. For example, some, as a result of their meaning space, may find group work to be an opportunity to collaborate with others while some may feel it is simply a method by which to socialize; others may even find this type of work meaningless. The author also stresses the importance of conveying a course objective EARLY and ACCURATELY in order to explain to the students what is actually expected of them. This will allow students to avoid enrolling in classes which do not fit in their “meaning space”. This will surely reduce absenteeism. I agree with much that the author said regarding “engaging absence with dialogue”. This class (social context), along with other classes in which open discussion is encouraged, definitely help to touch on many different contributors to absence. By engaging in open dialogue through the use of our blogs we are able to convey what we feel to be important; and in turn, open ourselves up to the comments of others in order to promote an environment of sharing and learning.