Outspoken students
I have had many students who would like to ask
questions away from the topic at hand.
They usually will try to bring in their own life
experiences which have nothing to do with the
material being presented.
You just simply tell that student that we
appreciate your input but for this class can we please get back to our topic.
If a student is attempting to transfer new information into their own experience, than being outspoken is relevant and can be productive. However, I believe some students have personal issues and need to be addressed out side of class time. They may need to have a meeting to discover underlying issues.
The cost of rejecting the question of a student may be way too high, in some cases just listing then pausing a seconded and then resume the topic conversation as before. is a better way.
I believe all new learning and experiences we have even at a very young age are associated with the past experience we have had. I think keeping a discussion on track is important and giving the student positive feedback for checking his/her ideas out.
I agree with having to reel them back in tactfully. I do, however, sometimes anwer the question or start a group discussion if the question addresses something we've talked about in earlier classes. It is a good use of class time if the other students are interested and want to carry on the discussion.
Hi David,
We must keep our students on topic. Whenever students get off topic, we must reel them back in tactfully so as to keep things on track.
Patricia
Although, as an educator, you don't want to discourage energetic learners, some people learn by associating new material to their personal past. If the discussion heads too far off track, I let the class know that after class in a less formal environment ( the smoking area, for instance) would be a great place to continue, however let's stay the course for the rest of the students/peers in the room. It seems this lets them feel appreciated and involved without the embarassment of shut down.
This is a tough area because you do not want to humiliate or discourage the outspoken student or make other students feel uncomfortable about speaking up. What I do is try to redirect the outspoken student's commentary by asking direct questions of other students. "Now that we've heard from Suzy...Sally, what do you think?" This seems to work very well. It also serves to validate the outspoken student.
