Not every student in a class is the same. Every child comes in with a different personality and a different set of strengths. It is this that makes a teacher’s job so challenging, trying to adapt teaching methodologies to ensuring every student gets the most possible opportunities to learn.
It is not rare to find children that are just too shy to participate in classroom activities. It can simply be that they are afraid of giving the wrong answer, or are simply not comfortable in the spotlight. There can be a number of reasons why students are not comfortable participating in classroom activities. But for all of these issues, there are a number of well-documented solutions.
Here are some commonly faced issues as to why a student is not participating in the class and some solutions to work through them.
Difficult Coursework
There are times when some students simply find the course content too difficult to deal with. This hampers their classroom participation by making them too insecure of their own knowledge to participate effectively in the classroom. Here’s how you can make sure that even with difficult coursework student participation does not lag.
Anonymous Questions
Having a box for anonymous questions is a great way to encourage participation. While the students may not be willing to ask questions outright, there is nothing stopping them from asking anonymous questions. This can help teachers identify which parts of the course material confused students the most.
Try Collaboration
Teamwork is one of the best ways to help a child learn. It not only encourages students with a stronger grip on the subject to take on the mantle of teachers, but also helps the weaker students to ask questions with more frankness. Asking questions of peers is more comfortable for students than to ask it off a teacher.
Divide and Conquer
This is not as dastardly an approach as that of the British, but still smart enough to get your students participating. Divide the course work among the students and ensure each group and give them time to master it. Once that is done ask them to teach their part of the course to the rest of the class. This will not only build their confidence but also ensure that they participate more.
Acute Shyness
There are a number of students that are just plain shy. They may even know the course material but they are simply not interested in the limelight. While that is not a bad thing, it is important to hone their public interaction skills to ensure they do not lack when it comes to the real world.
Involve the Parents
It is always a good idea to make sure the parents are on the same page as the teacher. Make sure that the parents are encouraging their children positively to participate in public activities. While it should involve too much undue pressure, but it is a great motivation for the child when their parents encourage them.
Co-curricular Participation
Encouraging participation in co-curricular activities is also a great way to build a child’s confidence. Earning accolades in co-curricular activities builds a child’s confidence. And this rubs off on their participation in the classroom as well.
There are a number of ways that a student can be encouraged to be more participative in the classroom. The most important thing to do this is to identify the reason why they shy away from it in the first place. A one-to-one conversation with the student and/or their parents can help show the way for this. At Ecole Mondiale World School, we make sure that each student is catered to in the way they most need it.
