Silent Student
The silent student may be shy or insecure or may not want to standout as a brain. In some situations being a brain makes you an outsider and left out of activities.
Hi Mokii,
My daughter too is a silent student, and I have talked to her over the years to speak up and participate in class. I give her a lot of home encouragement/support, and it has helped over the years.
Patricia Scales
I like your idea of a lifeline and tongue depressor. With the tongue depressor the silent person can feel like no one is picking on them or signaling them out. Also the lifeline really gives them a opportunity to have someone else answer when they do not know and yet have the feeling that they are playing a game....who wants to be a millionary....... it is fun and we all have fun with the game yet learn. It seems to take away the sting of not knowing the answer.
My daughter is a silent student. It seems a variety of methods may be the best way to get these students to open up.
Silent students may be shy or insecure about sharing their perspectives. However, a strategy that seems to work for me in the classroom is to have each student share their views from an article or other source related to the class topic.
Much agreement. As a silent student myself, I understand many of the reasons behind their silence. As mentioned in this course, I have found that small group work is very good at increasing student involvement.
I periodically call on students in class to answer something, just as you may be called on the spot by your clinical instructor to answer a question. I have their names on a tongue depressor and pull them out randomly to ask the question. I go through the whole class before I put any of the names back into the "draw" cup. I also let them know if they don't know an answer they can through out a lifeline, so at least they are responding in some way, "talking" in front of the class. It is hard to be called on the spot but better to practice in the classroom than in the patient's room!
