Motivating a student with no expressions
I have a student this course that shows no emotions not even facial ones.He is very smart and does every thing well. He does not hardly talk to anyone including me the Instructor.
I did get him to laugh and after two weeks he does talk more.
Does any one have some advice on how to get him out of his shell? He is going to have to talk to customers.Help?
Hello,
From your opening description to two weeks later it seems you have drawn the student out of his shell. To play devil's advocate, why should we label a quiet, smart, studious student as someone to be changed? It sounds like you have established a rapport, the student knows you care and are available if he needs anything.
He is bright, attending daily, learning and taking it all in and when called upon to do his job, talking with customers, he may surprise everyone by how well he does.
It would be interesting if you ever had a chance to observe him in action after he left your classroom.
Hi Gail,
Thanks for sharing this story. It is inspiring to me just to read about it. I can't imagine being in the class and seeing it unfold. This is what teaching is all about. We are having an impact on the lives of our students.
Gary
I actually had a student who said to me on the first day of class, "I don't like people". She didn't speak at all (only when spoken to and just to answer a question) but she was always writing. After a couple of weeks I asked her if I could see her journal. She had written in her journal, for every class period, exactly what her part of the discussion would be, i.e., if she agreed or not, how she would handle the situation, etc. Instead of having her write a paper for her final project, I told her she could make a collage (the project was on Success Is What Success Does). It was very inspirational. I brought it to class, anonymously, but when I presented it she stood up and her stories just poured out..it took 12 weeks, but she got there!
Hi Don,
Thanks for sharing your strategy for working with challenging students. Sometimes as you say they just don't become involved in the class but yet are very much engaged in the learning process. The use of special projects really helps them to be able to challenge themselves and use their intellect to push out the learning boundaries.
Gary
I have had a few students like this. They do excellent work, yet, show no emotions.Sometimes, to the point that I would have expected drug use if it were not for their great work and high grades. Sometimes,I believe that we mistake our talented students as unmotivated students. These students can be so far ahead intellectually and technically that they may become bored through the course. I will usually try giving this student a special project that no one else gets to do. This will hopefully challenge him and make him feel special and it shows him that you recognised his talents. Hoping the whole time that this will open him up enough to begin getting more feedback. Once he opens up, utilize him as a leader in the class with other labs or projects. This will also help him open up to other people. I hope this helps.
Put the students to the test and guide them to encourage them positively.
Hi Timothy,
A strategy I use for students like this is to try and put them in a leadership position in the class. For example I will have them conduct a demonstration or lead a discussion. Anything that will enable them to use the skills they have and develop confidence in their abilities.
Once they have done something of the leadership nature I praise them and reinforce their contributions to the class.
Another thing is that I make it a point to chat with each student individually each day and while chatting with a withdrawn student I try and learn all I can about what makes them tick or some interest of theirs. Then I use that to build a connection and rapport with the student.
Gary
