timid students
What is the best way to get your student to be more outspoken, knowing that he/she has to work with the public and speak much louder?
Sometimes I will work with the student aside from the class and either ask them to show me how to do something or ask him to explain why I am doing something.
When I feel he can do this assignment I will ask him to help another student or another gropup who are having trouble. I ask him to show the student/group and explain as he is doing the task.
This accomplishes a few points:
expressing themselves to others
confirming to me he has learned or mastered the task
can express himself to others/groups
brings him into the group as an equal
Hi Ron,
I agree with the group activities, what I tell my students is that "no one rides free" we all must participate and I continue to call on students randomly, I'm not going to just stand up here and talk, we will discuss the subject together.
Encoragement is the key! The more confident a student is the more willing a student is to contribute. Continue to bring out the strong personality in your students.
Hi Ron,
I agree. Shy students need constant praise and encouragement. You have to make them feel very special.
Patricia
Group activities help students to get to know the group better and helps the shy students open up and join in. Each time the students speak out and adds to the discussion ....it will become easier to do it again (most of the time) It is important for the instructor to give extra praise
or acceptance to the shy students.
Hi Maureen,
What a great way to get shy students involved!
Patricia
Involving all students to participate in class is essential to creating a good learning environment.
Have a box with select topics, place them in a desk and have each student pick one. Ask the student to discuss or relate using information gathered from research or, previous lecture(s) how this new knowledge affects his/her day-to-day living.
I have found that you as the instructor, must sometimes look deeper into the student than just basic observations. I recently had a student of oriental background who was very shy and withdrawn, very quite and extremely polite. He outwardly appeared to be struggling with the coarse but would never ask for help nor ask fellow students for assistance. Every attempt that I made to communicate failed. I assigned him to a group of four very strong and outspoken students, as presented in ED104, presentations, Lab excersises and oral reports were required. When put into this group under these circumstances he began to open up and perform very well. His scores in lab and the classroom increased and he began to participate in classroom activities. What I learned was the he was an immagrant from China and he was overwhelmed by our culture and the manorisms of students in this country his own age. Though I agree with what has been said, I do believe there are times you must look deeper with some than others, but you can reach them and help them move on.
Hello Mike,
Continue to build the shy student's confidence level. Encouragement is key for this type of student.
Patricia
Yes, adding confidence helps greatly. Seeing a student be successful on a project can help them to open up a bit. It is easier for a person to talk about something they have been successful at, and can be a good "icebreaker" too.
Hello Tasha,
The more confident a student is the more willing a student is to contribute. Continue to bring out the best in your students.
Patricia
I've found praticing these social skills beneficial. I teach in the medical field and I've encountered several students who are afraid to speak up and out; which is unacceptable for dealing with patients. So I have the shy, timid students practice these skills on a regular until they are comfortable and proficient.
Hi Samantha,
You can not change people. All you can do is tell these students the drawbacks that they will face in the real world if they do not become more outspoken. I try to do a lot of encouraging, praising, motivating, and group activities with timid students to bring them out of their shell.
Patricia
