Involving a silent student in class
What are some of the strategies to use for a silent student?
Hi Randy,
I like putting students in small groups so that shy students will be more likely to open up.
Patricia Scales
I give my students topics each class to elaborate on and discuss further with the class. They get the sense of teaching their classmates. It seems to work well .
Hi Karen,
Yes, silent students tend to do much better in a smaller setting. The instructor's relationship with a silent student brings the student out of their shell as well.
Patricia Scales
I like the idea of putting a shy or silent student in the smaller group setting because that many times will be less intimidating to a quieter student. Also, the other suggestion that I found as a possibility of a good idea, (because I have not tried this myself), is the idea of setting the students in a group sitting at the front of the classroom for discussion. Short answers in a group setting may make the student a little more comfortable to get acclimated and trust the classroom environment to possibly participate and be more vocal in the future.
Strategies may vary depending on the reason the student is being silent. Some are just shy by nature, some are unprepared, indifferent, bored or just having a bad day. Talk to the student after class. It is important to identify the reason they are being silent in order to identify the best way to help them.
Hi Jesus,
Try putting these students in smaller settings. I also like to give these students leadership roles as well. I have found that if you build a rapport with silent students, they tend to open up more.
Patricia Scales
