Creating Discussions Everyone Enjoys
I often have issues in my classroom when only one or two people are open to discussion and speaking up. What do you find is helpful in getting more people to speak up, especially when you know there are more than one or two people with an opinion?
Bobbi Bricker
This is a great idea! It definately will encourage students to participate and pay attention. I also have students write down their answers and/or opinions and submit them to me. This way I know they are paying attention and they have a "voice" that is unthreatened by other student opinions. Also, as the students bod more, they tend to be more comfortable discussing openly in class, being less intimidated by each other.
Hi Bobbi,
At my institution we have a participation component of our grading policy, and I let them know on Day 1 that participation is a must because you are graded on it. It is a great incentive and most of my students will participate because of this policy alone. You may want to include a participation component as a part of your grading policy if you are at liberty to do so.
Patricia
