It is Your Face
Wines 1 course, I had a variety of ages and my concern for the non traditional students were they would not answer what they were smelling or tasting in the glass for fear of being wrong, lack of confidence, (being out of school for 10 or 18 + years)and/or new situation. My catch phrase was "It is your face, no one is wrong". many factors dictate what you are experiencing: breakfast, lunch, smoker, non smoker, cold etc. The result: more people participated.
I agree. Most students need to feel comfortable in the classroom in order to participate. If a student thinks that they will be criticized for their remarks or answers, they will be reluctant to speak up in class.
When people lose their initial fear of failure it opens up the discussion. I find that once one person speaks up, right or wrong, that other people are more willing to participate they just dont want to break the ice.
As learners we fear failure, fear looking stupid, so we often hang back or perform hesitatingly. Your technique lowers the fear of failure and encourages them to give it a try.
Hi Beth,
Good strategy. Thanks for sharing this unique way of getting more students to share in class.
Gary
