I found it to be helpful to ask the quite students if they are learning enough and if they like the environment. They usually are ok to be quite and allow information enter thier brain through Osmosis.

Good call Diane...Mixing English language learners and cultural diversity in the small groups has been helpful for leveling the playing field in the technical classes that I teach. Breaking up the clicks and allowing some colleaguel learning from peers makes terminology less threatening.  "Ya feel me?"

Do you think quiet students get less embarrassed in small group activities?  Or do they just hide in a different way?

small classes learn more.

It can be difficult to get the quiet students to come out of their shell but it can be done by finding a way to connect to them on their level.  This helps them feel important to the instructor and builds their confidence in such a way that they can participate more openly in class.