I usually find that the quite student is not to sure of him/her self, I will call on them and even guide them in a response to ease them into it, after several minutes of possitive reinforcement they will participate freely.
I start by having the unsilent students to not answer questions unless called on. I also ask questions of every student so that they all get a chance to answer.
If a student does not seem to be participating in any class discussions as an instructor I would take the student aside after class or at the break and ask him/her if he/she understood the topic of discussion and if not I would try to explain the area of discussion. If the student is just shy or felt intimidated by the rest of the students, I would try to explain that we are all in this together and every student does have something of value to add to the class based on his/her experiences. This approach would help a shy student feel valuable and confident that he/she could contribute to future class discussions.
Hi James,
Trust is everything. Once students feel they can trust you, they really blossom. They tend to come out of their shell.
Patricia
Patricia;
I first work on gaining the students trust, then try to get to the root of why they are silent in class. From there I begin to develope a plan to try and get the student to open and become part of the class/group or at least feel as if they are part of the class/group.
James Torres
Hi Omar,
Most silent students have great potential. They just do not share it openly. Shy students tend to open up more in smaller settings.
Patricia
Hi Cindy,
Shy students do not like the lime light. I like how you carefully invovle the shy student. Shy students must be handled very delicately.
Patricia
I have found that asking them to help me demonstrate a technique is successful in bringing them out of their shell. I also make a concerted effort to converse with them every chance I get. Asking a question which requires an answer pertaining to anatomy or "what would you do" scenerio opens them up as well. Being careful of course not to put them "on the spot"!
I'm currently experiencing this issue with one of my students. Group writing is what I've decided to stress, and from what I saw in our last class, it's the way to go. This student sat through most of the discussion, but when called to write her share of the story on the board she took off with it. I commended her participation without being too obvious,( I hope), and felt that this may be the answer to more involvement on her part.
I engage the student in a topic I know they are good at. To help break the shyness of the student. I also asign a question to each student and have them post the answer on the whiteboard.
By breaking them up into small groups and calling on them during lectures.
Hi Ronald,
I understand. I like how you really monitor the quiet students to make sure if they are understanding what's going on. Silence can be a sign of not understanding.
Patricia
Hi Roseann,
We have to make students feel comfortable and feel like they are a part of the class. Silent students generally will not approach you, you have to approach them.
Patricia
I agree with you, the student will come out their shell when we speak with them and let them speak in class.
This is very difficult for me because of my upbringing. I was always raised to respect teachers, be quiet in class and don't ask questions. I find myself actually admiring the silent students in my class because I look at quite or silent as respectful. I have tried to make more observations in my classroom particularly in skill practices and group activities to see if these silent students are participating. If I see them participating, I do nothing. However if I see them silent in class and in group activities, I meet with that student individually and see why this is going on. Most times its nothing other than shyness, but a few times, I have found it was hostility towards me and control of my classroom. The two of us discussed ways to change this.
I try to get students to interact with other students in a small group setting
I agree with he module that small group projects and discussions can help a quiet student join in.
A teacher can also state in the syllabus that class participation comprises part of the overall grade. (Because communicating one's knowledge is a crucial career skill they need to develop)
Hi Tracey,
I like the idea of changing seats every class. Unfortunately, I will not be able to use this tactic due to teaching computer classes and students electronic files are stored on their computers, therefore students must keep the same seat for the entire grading period. I make it a point to involve all students in my lectures. I call on every student daily. The shy students tend to come out of their shell once they discover my pattern.
Patricia
I make my students change seats every class. They then have to introduce themselves to a new buddy every class. This seems to help the shy students come out of their shell.
I also try to include a group activity/hands-on activity every class to have students interact with one another.
It seems that if a student knows that everyone is particpating, then they feel more comfortable particpating too.
I call on specific students to answer questions rather than an open forum. This allows me to help the silent students speak up and practice speaking in front of an audience.
