Peer Pressure and Class Participation
I try to determine if any students are prone to non-participation because they feel bullied or because other students might make fun of them. I actually had an adult student who was very social with classmates and seemed to be an extrovert, but when asked to provide a verbal report to the class he practically fainted! This was a wake up call for me - I never would have believed that this student would become so stressed to present in front of other students! I thought he was joking! Many students aren't fond of speaking in front of others - I try to encourage this type of participation because you never know when a job interview will be in a group setting.
I remember running out of the classroom the very first time I had to give a speech as a student and now I'm a teacher. My instructor had advice me to take a group speech class instead. Working with groups and delivering oral presentations with a group or with a partner eventually helped me get over my fear of public speaking.
If a class requires oral presentations, I usually have them work with a partner first, then eventually do an individual project.
Public speaking is not easy be it in a course on on a job interview. People tend to write like they speak so if the person does not write well they probably won't speak well and would not want to risk the embarrassment. Sometime students don't study either and don't want to give the wrong answer in class.
Sharon, speaking in front of an audience is higher on the all time fear list than death so not strange to find students that have a fear of public speaking. If your lesson plan requires students to make presentations I highly recommend discussing this the first day of class so students know what to expect. If is also good to give students a chance to comment, oral or in writing, how they like or dislike public speaking so you know who to provide some special attention early in the overall process.
James Jackson
