shy students
I have applied the technique of splitting them into smaller groups to get them more involved, but still sometimes it doesnt work. Any thoughts as to how to get them more motivated
Constant encouragment and praise when they step out of their shyness (on demand) of course. I like to call out the students name and THEN as my question so as to NOT catch them off guard. Then say thank you, that was a great answer and might even pull them aside later and tell them they did a great job in front of the entire class. It's all about brining their confidence up and letting them know that they HAVE to sell themselves to get a job, so this is something we work on their schooling time.
Hi Joseph!
Sometimes I will treat groups as teams, and offer a reward system such as 3 points extra to the winning team. Many students will often times give their all to something like that! I have found even the shy students need extra points!
Hi K. C.,
Students love being rewarded, and they will work harder if they know they are going to be rewarded for it.
Patricia
I love my shy students. I have had my share of shy students. I try my best to include them in all my class discussions and demonstrations. I also talk to the other students about helping them to come out of their shell. I have helped many of my shy students. I have even had some that surprised me with how much they changed when they levee my class.
I like to have all the students tell me about themselves the first day, then ask questions about what they have told me. I also ask the other students to comment on the what each has said.
We usually end up talking about their hopes and dreams in the career they are studing for. Even the shy ones will get involved, and it introduces the students to each other. Many shy students find they have things in common with their classmates.
This also helps me learn their names quickly, which is important to the shy student.
As a physics instructor I, quite frequently, experience students that are really intimidated. Chances are they have put off taking physics as late in their course work as possible. To get these reticent students to loosen up a bit I bring in everyday objects such as a jack-in-the-box (potential energy), a bowl of mash potatoes (momentum) etc. I would think that each discipline would have something that could be illustrated through some common phenomenon. Much shyness arises from lack of confidence. Once you make a connection it does become a bit easier and less stressful.
Hi Ezra,
What a great idea with such tough course to help decrease the apprehensiveness. There should be an easy understanding based on the items you use to teach various concepts.
Patricia
