Shy students in groups
I'm having a difficult time allowing a few adult learners to get into groups. The shy students sit in their seats and hope I don't make them move to a group. They know that group participation is part of a participation grade, but that doesn't seem to matter. I don't want to embarrass them and incur the wrath of a passive aggressive attitude. Any suggestions?
Shy students are special. They must be pushed out of the shadows and encouraged to participate. To accomplish this, I use a lot of small group work. Everyday I come up with a new way to group students. One day I might have them count off by fours (use the number that works for your group). All ones are a group, all twos are a group and so on. Another day I might use the color of their shoes to form groups. Still another day I might have them draw group numbers out of a hat. I find that the more exposure shy students have to their classmates in small groups the quicker they become comfortable with the class.
In a class where practical work is prominent such as my (music) studio classes, I find it hard to get shy students to take the center stage and for instance play the role of the main engineer for a session. They seem afraid to make any mistakes in front of fellow classmates. When this occurs I try and pair up a shy student with one who is pretty confident and assign both of them the same task. It seems to workout by the end of the term!
Hi Tim,
Have a private talk with them about the importance of team work in the workplace. You many even want to try making them group leaders or give them a vital role in the group.
Patricia
