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  Home > Resources > Teaching FAQ's > Presenting and Facilitating > Bringing Out Shy Students

How do I bring out shy students?

• Being part of a discussion is a skill to learn, just like taking good lecture notes or learning to write a good essay exam. You are not doing shy students a favor by letting them off the hook completely. Rather, emphasize to your class that in order to have productive discussions, everyone needs to make a contribution. This can be done in a variety of ways: good listening, asking good questions, challenging what someone has said appropriately, inviting others into the discussion, etc. A good exercise to teach these skills is the feedback discussion.
  
  
• Gatekeeping: Create some floor-time for people who haven't contributed much by gently signaling them that you have noticed. When you ask a question, say "Let's hear from someone there in back" or "Let's hear from somebody new."
  
• Personal attention: E-mail is a great way to pay personal attention to students. Give students a chance to contribute electronically. This may grow into an opportunity to speak up in class. For example, you might suggest that something particularly insightful mentioned in email be brought up to the class. With your acknowledgment, it will be easier for a shy student to take the risk of speaking to the class as a whole.
  
  
• Set them up. Catch a shy student after class or ask them to come to your office hours. Approach the topic with something gentle, like "You know, Mike, we have some real go-getters in this class, and I'm concerned you are not getting to chance to contribute that you might want. So I want you to know that tomorrow I am going to call on you." Then tell them exactly what you are going to ask them (e.g. "I'm going to ask you for the asymptote in problem number six.") This way, they can prepare for the big moment, and when you "casually" call on them in lecture, they will be prepared. Their entry into the world of class contribution will be successful and encouraging.
  
  
• Sometimes personal or cultural boundaries make large group discussions too scary for a student. In this case, you can arrange to chat with them during office hours, or have them turn in written contributions in your mailbox.

 

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