From my 20+ years of teaching
career in different faculties, I haven't come across even a single class
or group of participants where I did not feel challenges about students' active
participation in the class discussions. Again, it is a bit of relief for me to
know that I am not alone, otherwise why would Brookfield (2006) write a full
chapter on this topic in his book, Skillful Teacher (p. 133 - 152).
Yes, in my workshops of
Employability Skills (maximum 10 to 12 participants) and in the past while
teaching in India in a Medical School (class size 50 students), I have come
across shy and introverts who have inborn personality not to speak in the class
until instructor asks them questions. Sometimes they feel intimidated when
instructor asks them questions more frequently with a try to open them up in
the class but sometimes, they show negative results - start missing the class
or express in the feedback instrument about their discomfort of public
discussions. Sometimes, nothing much can be done for such students in terms of
enhancing their participation in class discussions, but otherwise they score
reasonably high in non-verbal, written exams.
Of course, there are all sorts
of students categories I have come across in my professional career as
mentioned in chapter 8 of Skillful Teacher (Brookfield, S. D., 2006) such as
the ones who feel the fear of looking stupid if they talk, unprepared and still
sleepy in the class, lazy, lack of self-esteem and self - confidence, those who
don't feel welcomed in the class due to cultural diversity or due to their own
pre-framed ideas about the classroom; or who are always burnt out when they
come to the class because of their lifestyle or home responsibilities. As an
instructor, I have been very observant about each and every student no matter
how big or small class I teach. But my challenges, sometimes have been, how to
motivate such students to participate in the discussions? Well, I have tried
following methods which have sometimes shown successful results:
1. By giving an important
responsibility to the shy students in a small group discussion, for example,
notes taking, doing a research for the group respecting their naturally silent behaviours
but still they are participating.
2. Talking to them one-on-one
in my spare time and trying to dissolve the factors causing fear
3. Being empathetic to the ones
who feel burnt out and providing them some resources in the community which may
ease their lives to some extent. Again, I remember Brookfield's discussion in
chapter 4, "what students value in teachers". Students always
appreciate teacher's authenticity more than her credibility on certain days. I
remember a single mother in my workshop one day who was attending my workshop
and sitting quiet all the time. During coffee break, I asked her what's the
matter? She immediately started crying and said, "I haven't eaten any
grain for the last 48 hours because Ministry took my two months child away and
sent the child to foster care....". I offered her coffee and gave her my
lunch to eat and rescheduled the workshop to another day because she needed
rest more than the workshop that day. She came back to my workshop next day and
since that day she always participated in the discussions.
Sometimes these methods work
and sometimes they don't. In the last few years of my career as an instructor,
I have learnt that I must keep trying different methods and don't give up.
After all, I am a humanistic instructor and a lifelong learner myself. As an
instructor, we also learn new concepts, new skills to keep our students engaged
and participating in the class. I am a student-centric Instructor, indeed!
References:
Brookfield, S.D., (2006): The
Skillful Teacher – On Techniques, Trust and Responsiveness in the Classroom.
(2nd Edition). The Jossey-Bass -Higher and Adult Education Series. P. (133 - 152)
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