Getting students to ask more questions
I have 13 students in my class and I have only a few students who ask questions, the other students just sit there like they might be afraid to ask a "stupid" question.
I have implemented in class a participation reward system, the more question they ask the more they are rewarded. This seems to work with the quite ones and also the students who are constantly off track.
Hello Judith,
With a nice small group as 13, perhaps you could break them into smaller groups of three to four people. Give them three or four questions to discuss among the group.
Sometimes I think some learners come to class to be entertained by me. If I want them to learn, putting some action into the learning time may bring forward the silent ones.
First off no question is stupid you just have to find a way to bring them all to ask questions.It is hard sometimes but it can be done.
What a great idea, have you noticed later that these students open up more after they have experienced the discussion that their question brought?
Hi -Thanks for your post to the forum. Congratulations- you have made a student feel secure in your classroom! Best wishes- Susan
Thank you, I will try this and see how it works.
Today in class, I tried calling on the students who normally don't answer right away and made it not intimidating to them. It went really well.
Hi Judith - This is a great oppoturtunity to have your students submit anonymous questions that you will read in class. When a student sees that their question was not only significant, but also that their classmates wondered about it also, they will feel much more secure about asking questions in class. Best wishes- Susan
Great question. I have the same issue in my classes where only a few students usually ask questions and dominate the discussion. It would be great to get the quiet ones to speak up and to get more involved in the discussion and in asking questions.
