I emphasize to my students that successful people are those who failed and were forced to get out of their comfort zones.
I challenge my students to do something new such as,trying a new food, visit a place never visited, speak to someone on campus they never spoke to and etc. Just do something they never done before and build off that transition.
I like to use questions directed at students while in class about the topic at hand. You have to be careful though because many students get embarrased or are afraid of putting out the wrong answer. Its important to limit the other students response to a wrong answer by applying relevance to a students answer as often as possible and controling the feedback.
I also teach a computer course that most of the curriculums have built in as a beginning course, so in general these students are in their first or second quarter at the school. They are getting to know their peers and acclimating to being in school again. One of the insecurities most students bring with them is speaking or presenting in front of a group. So I have them do a quick power-point on their family to the class. This creates a number of positive outcomes. The students generally love presenting something they know and are familiar with, they are the experts on their families. So their confidence gets a boast and the intimidation of presenting is lessoned. They also get a good grade at the beginning of the class so they make an effort to keep their A.
Travis, each student is different and according to Dr. Joe Pace from The Pacific Institute the teacher will appear when the student is ready so the focus here is continual enforcement of your lesson plan and be ready to engage your students as they ask questions. Build situations within your classroom where you can discuss with students how they feel about working outside their comfort zones. As you notice less commentary you may want to adjust and find more ways to build confidence and a more secure environment. As your students begin to freely share ideas and even engage in levels of constructive discourse you will know you have hit a good balance.
James Jackson
