Reducing Participation Anxiety
I appreciated the section on increasing student participation in discussions. Many of our students are reluctant to share in class. The more you can make the environment relaxed and non-judgmental, the better participation you get.
I try from day one in a new class to facilitate this participation. I use questioning throughout my classes. This helps to bring out those who are trying to hide quietly in the back of the classroom and shows everyone that everyone has something to give.
What do you do in your classes to help facilitate participation?
In my classes I start out by telling everyone that there are no dumb or stupid questions. We all need to ask questions to seek out the answers that we need and that if we don't ask questions we will not learn what we need to know. This does seem to set the stage for a meaningful class.
Something I saw in this lesson that came from one video was to invite or encourage students to "share without expertise". First day encounters should carry no fear of "I should know this." I would rather invite participation by asking "What do you think about....." it's a chance to speak freely and get comfortable in the course surroundings.
Hi Eric ,
I like the idea of trying to get the students to feel very comfortable on Day 1 to ease them into the course.
Patricia Scales
