Hi Ruben-Welcome to ED 103! We all eventually encounter the student who just will not participate. Then we put on our "psychologist hats" - "Is the student learning disabled?", "Are there psychological problems?" etc. I find that the best tact is to try to create a personal relationship with the student to the point where he/she feels more comfortable. This may entail chatting with the student before or after class, emailing with a note about something you know the student has an interest in etc.
