Students who are shy
How do you get a student or students out of their shell?
Kate,
Congratulations for keeping at it. Your passion for your field and sharing it with others is great enough for you to go through presentation trauma over and over again. This is the sign of a dedicated professional that wants the best for her students. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I was a shy student in college and this kind of assignment gave me heart palpitations. But, like anything else, practice made it easier and less scary to stand in front of a group, and now when I have to give a presentation... I'm still terrified but I can fake it!
Jennifer,
It is a slow process to get students to open up. I use panel presentations to help them get over the fear of speaking out in class. I assign 3 students to present of a general topic that has three subtopics. I set the time for each presentation to be 3 minutes. I have the panel come to the front of the room, sit down behind a table and then present. By knowing that their presentation is only 3 minutes there is some relief and then by sitting behind a table with two other students they really settle in. They have the table as a barrier, sitting takes the spotlight off of them and the two other students helps the individual student to feel less visible. A easy safe way to build student confidence.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have a presentation project at the end of my class which is terrifying to many students. As a lead-up assignment to help them become comfortable in the class, I have them give a "Quote of the Day" where they write a quote on the board, read it aloud, and explain why they chose it and how it relates to the course. Some of them peep out a few words and hustle back to their seats, but they still do it every time! It's a great way to let them know that they won't melt.
Steven,
This is a very supportive and non-threatening way of involving all students in the learning process. Your shy students can move slowly into making class contributions while expanding their skills and knowledge in the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Having been a shy student in college myself, I know that it was worst for me when nobody took the time to interact with me. Obviously, it's a little different for everybody, but many shy people will open up a little if you express an interest, or give them an opportunity to participate in a conversation, rather than expecting them to speak up.
As a rule of thumb, if I know I have a really shy student, I'll put a little extra effort into creating opportunities in class discussion for them to participate. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but it's a start.
In beginning level classes, I'll often theme the projects around the students getting to know each other. I have a number of Graphic Design projects where part of the requirements are that the project relate to the student's personal interest in some way, shape, or form. This tends to encourage people to come out of their shells a bit.
Jennifer,
You make a good point about helping students achieve early success in answering questions and contributing to class discussions. This success really helps them to build their confidence so they will feel comfortable asking and answering more difficult questions.
Gary
Asking them even the simple questions early on, that everyone may already know. It my help them speak up more. They may feel more confident to talk if they are sure they know the right answers :) Work your way up to the harder questions.
I usually call on them more and ask them to do activities within class. They seem to become more comfortable with me, the instructor and their classmates.
I have found that group projects help the shy student to come out of him/her shyness. In the group project each person is assisgned a certain task that they must perform for the group rating. Though this type of project, I have seen student's confidence increase.
I have a group of students who are very shy. I mix them up into groups of 5 and play a jeporady game with them using course material. The competition really brings them out of their shell.
Cece
Hi Terry,
Good approach. You are easing them into developing their communication skills. By letting them talk about something that is familiar to them you are helping them to work on delivery and not having to focus as much on content. I use student panels for my students so there are three of them up front and that helps my shy students to relax a bit. By the end of the course they are standing there alone sharing a topic with a much greater level of comfort.
Gary
I teach an Oral Comunications class and have to deal with the double-whammy of shyness coupled with the fear of public speaking. One of the ways I handle it is to make the first two speeches specifically about the student's life, i.e. the way an Aesop Fable applies to their life, all while emphasizing that they are the leading expert in the world on their topic--their life. This helps relax the students because they realize they can't be wrong as far as the topic of their speech is concered. It allows us to focus specifically on their delivery, and that helps relax even the most bashful student.
Hi Sahbaa,
What kinds of projects do you require of your students? Thanks for your input on this.
Gary
I request from them a project and they should present it by them self infront of the class and it is part of the grade
Hi Ronald,
Good strategy for slowly helping the shy students to develop their confidence and contribute to the class. This is so important for instructors to do so every student feels included.
Gary
Once I determine how many are shy,I then try to determine the severity of their shyness.I often incorporate group projects -where they will work in groups of 3 or 4 students ,each one participating in someway with the intention of everyone understanding the solution making sure that not just the "smart one" is doing all the work.they are to teach one another!
Hi Shane,
Not easy because they have had a lifetime of developing their withdrawal. I put my students into groups and assign them a topic. Each student has 5 minutes to report on a part of the topic. I call them student panels. I have the group of students (3-4) come to the front of class and sit down behind a large table. This really helps shy students. They are in front of the class but they are sitting down behind a table with other students. The spotlight is not on them standing alone in front of the class. I have found that after these presentations my withdrawn students are more out going in asking questions and participating in discussions.
Gary
