encouraging quieter students
Hi, how would you encourage quieter students who frequently decline participating in group discussions?
Cora,
This is a great way to engage shy students. I use group presentations for the same reason.
Judy Mohammed
Cora,
This is a great way to engage shy students and draw them out. I use group presentations in my classes to help draw them out.
Judy Mohammed
I sometimes offer a written question to the class. If the shy student provides a good answer I will let them know and ask if they will share their good answer with the rest of the class. Sometimes this helps them to overcome the fear of being wrong when asked a direct question.
I sometimes offer a written question to the class. If the shy student provides a good answer I will let them know and ask if they will share their good answer with the rest of the class. Sometimes this helps them to overcome the fear of being wrong when asked a direct question.
Kimberlee,
This is what many of us do as well. We start off the shy ones with questions that we think they already know the answers for. It builds their confidence.
Judy Mohammed
I teach radiology to Dental Hygiene students. Some of them have had previous dental experience. When it comes to asking students questions during class and engaging the quiet, shy ones, I "save" the less complex questions for the unexperienced students so they feel good about being able to answer correctly, hopefully, or at least close to it.
It may be a simple concept or a technique that we have been practicing for several weeks.
Patricia,
When I have shy students, I make an effort to begin a conversation outside of class (at breaks or before and after class). I try to discuss their interests and eventually bring them into the classroom.
Judy Mohammed
i try to interact with my students in more of a personal level, when i feel they pull back and tend to be shy i try to make it fun and interactive in class, i use videos and powerpoints and pictures to make my classroom very visual and creative.I get really good feedback with this technique
David,
So do you choose the groups? I use diverse methods to form groups at the beginning so that the groups are comprised of different students, then about the middle of the class, I start letting them choose their own groups.
Judy Mohammed
The students are not given a choice who is in their group. As they start their task, I speak to the small groups and try to draw active participation from each member. This usually brings them out of their shell.
Ronald,
This is very good advice. I also try to engage my quiet students out of class to get them talking about their interests so that we can start a conversation that may transfer into the classroom.
Judy Mohammed
As someone who once was that student, quiet. I have found that the more rapport I can establish with the student and this certainly does not mean becoming friends, but by asking questions "probing" to find what likes/dislikes that they have or "interests". I can then work that into the lesson and formulate my questions around that. Additionally trying to group them with others {students} in the class that they can relate to, and breaking the class into groups works. Sometimes even simple things like some form of class competition which can lighten up mode some. This will draw them in as well. Watch their body language and once you see a response, use it as a cue to then ask them, and in actuality catch them off guard. Once they give an answer praise them but don't make them stand out, or single them out in front of the class when doing so. Or they will lose confidence and go back into their shell again. Some you just have to work with individually and above all never force them to participate, allow it come at their pace on their will. Above all never pressure them.
Marcia,
Students appreciate application questions since they bring out real life experiences.
Judy Mohammed
I instruct in an VN program. I try to connect the question to a patient and see if this might help in answering questions or participating in the group activity. This tends to work because, I can relate it to what they are in school learning.
Ronald,
This also works for me; I often get them talking about things that interest them and it gets them involved.
Judy Mohammed
I will ask questions that are not threating, I will ask what cars they like, try to build a relationship with them. Then ease them into interacting with the class. It works often .
Nicole,
Great job! I have been fairly successful in getting student participation by chatting with them outside of class and bringing them into the class dciscussion. I also use small groups and sometimes, I assign roles.
Judy Mohammed
I have several students that I cannot engage in classroom discussion. I tutor these students fairly extensively outside of class and try to create activities that allow the students to break into small groups. I also make sure that the knowledge base of the students is distributed evenly throughout the groups and that they are small enough that the shy students are not overshadowed. Despite my efforts, the shy students will not speak up and will only shake their heads when I ask them a direct question in class. I have decided that for these students, having them answer questions in class is more detrimental to their confidence and learning. I asses their understanding in our one-on-one sessions.
Sherry,
Absolutely! Even when we are interested in information it is more appealing to us.
Judy Mohammed
