Hi Thongsamay,
I have found great success with one-on-one with shy students as well.
Patricia
I think we as educators need to recognize that sometimes it is okay for silent students to be quiet. Our society often "talks" too much and doesn't place enough emphasis on the importance of listening. Reflective minute papers assigned as the end of a class period can be a great way to get the thoughts and insight from silent students in a manner they are most comfortable. And then if a silent student has something really insightful and profound in the minute paper, in the next class meeting you can ask the student to share his/her thoughts with the entire class. The preparation and praise foundation has already been laid to make it a less threatening situation for the student.
I agree involving a game activity helps shy students participate in class. Also have small group discussion helps with shy students.
I like to draw students out by getting to know them before, after or during breaks in class. This makes them feel connected and safe. I also think that teams help immensely with this issue. A smaller group can create manageable scale.
I was once a shy student and know that speaking in front of the whole class can be painful. I try to bring shy students in by not always doing whole class work/discussions and do some smaller groups that allow everyone to feel more confident in participating. I will sometimes assign "roles" to the groups (ie. recorder, timekeeper, share out person) so everyone has a chance to be heard. I also like to try to get to know my shy students maybe even a little more than the outspoken ones so they will feel comfortable with me and thus feel more comfortable sharing with the class.
I'm actually a shy student. I have been in classes where I felt left out, classes where I felt "stupid" and one class where I felt important. One of the ways the instructor got me to communicate was to have the class write our comments on a regular basis. Those comments were then built into the lecture for the next class. The brilliant part was that he didn't announce anyone's name. I was able to keep my confidentiality. :) I think another alternative to this would be to use technology in your class. Start a blog or forum online for your students. Make it private and use comments from the forum as part of your class. You can use this as an assessment as well. My warning would be that you have to monitor this. Flaming is just as distractive and harassing online as angry students in class.
By getting to know them and speaking to them, you can find out their interests. Then by pulling these interests into class, they are more likely to participate.
This is one that I haven't usually had too much of a problem with until this semester. I stand in front of the class and they all stare at me. Normally the lecture is fairly interactive as I want the class to share and learn from each other's real world experiences. This semester I have 1 section that is silent as can be. I have tried mixing up the teaching methods, using groups and other things and it helps a little but for the most part it is blank stares. As an instructor that can be very frustrating and I wonder if they are even hearing me!
Amy Rogers
I was faced with this situation in an Ethics class where there was alot of classroom discussion. One individual never really had too much to say about anything! So to include her I broke them up in groups of 4 and each group was given an "ETHICAL" problem that they may face in their profession. Each group had to come up with a solution and how they would handle it. To my surprise, the student that was very reserved did all the talking when it came time to present to the class. From that class on we broke up in small groups and she participated!!!! Great thing to see!!
I always begin by dividing the class into smaller groups so they can familiarize themselves with eachother and develop immediate bonds with fellow classmates. When students speak about a topic, I find if I help them to verbalize their points, they often begin to feel more committed and more knowledgeable. Once they realize that an instuctors job is not to embarrass but rather encourage, it becomes easier to get the silent students involved. By making sure to include topics that the quieter students have knowledge about also encourages imput.
It can be daunting to bring that silent student into the class discussion. Many times he or she is unsure of themself or afraid to 'mess up'. It is important that that I tell all my students that I rely on them to join in with dicussions and it helps me to know that they understand the material. I will combine groups of talker and quiet ones and play review games to help.
Silent students if they are not allowed to fill their full potential by learning to commuicate openly . Are not given full advantage of the educational system. When a silent student comes in I make sure to ask them to feel free to express what ever they want to express, also that what they have to say is equally as important as anyone else. By the suggestion of having students give 5 minute discussions I have found this in the past to work very well. It allows a student to reduce any fear or anxiety that they had before about talking in front of people or the individuals that they are taking care of. The stragety is to help some students who didn't believe that they had a right to have a voice.
Assigning small group projects requiring each member to participate is a good way to draw students out of their shell. Role play is another good ways to get silent students talking, it is fun and no pressure, as well as a good learning experience.
I teach on line, so I can see the names of all the studnet logged in, I will then engage them with questions and ask them their opinion on something. I will aways ask if they have questions or something they want to add.
In clinical setting I try to give such pt who interact well so that student tends to open up and gets more comfortable in communicating with pt,it helps but there are always exceptions.
in my experience ive noticed that most of the quite students tend to be the darkhorse of the group. not to say all the student will be but by getting the quiet student to engage the class it was surprising what they might know. quiet students may not do things by talking but by their actions. i would try different activities and see what opens that student up.
Hi Shantana,
A SMALL group setting works well for silent studens. They tend to continue to shut down in a large group setting.
Patricia
Have them work in groups, ask them their own on different subject matter.
Hi Gordon,
One-on-one is the most effective with private students. They tend to really shut down in a group setting, especailly a large group.
Patricia
One of my best friends used to be one of those silent types...until i just started talking with him and finding out his interests. I find silent students should be talked to privately first and asking them how they are understanding the information or asking if they have any questions.
