eye contact with all not few
I always struggle keeping eye contact with all my students equally. My class usually has 50% that want to talk and communicate and the rest just want to be there without commenting at all about any subject. It is very easy to get carried away and converse with the enthusiastic ones. It is always a challenge for me to consciously make eye contact with all equally. I feel like a conscious effort regularly works more than just feeling bad later on.
I make it a point to ask questions or opinions of students that avoid eye contact in order to get it. Shy students sometime need the extra push to get involved.
I agree, sometimes students need a nudge to engage. Some teachers find a mechanical or methodical way to ensure the students are getting equal attention by looking around the room in a certain order. The danger of this is that students will learn when they need to be engaged and will likely disengage immediately after. I try to make seemingly random patterns and rotate through them, and I try to rely on a few students to help reinforce or re-explain the content, or otherwise engage their peers in each class meeting.
since we teach in an online environment, eye contact makes no sense... a form of eye contact, though, is to use the student's name when replying to emails or in an online chat...
I also teach some online classes. Using their name in the email response does help. It allows them to think that you are more open to them and they are not afraid to ask questions of any type.
I have that problem as well. It is difficult because just as with people you conversate with in day to day life, you are more engaged with those who are involved and interested. When it comes to students, your eyes don't naturally go to those students who are disengaged and look bored or tired, your eyes go to the students that you know will be offering feedback or looking attentive. I guess I just need to make a point to develop some kind of pattern so that I train my eyes to go to one row, then another, without looking too obvious.
