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One of the most frustrating aspects of teaching a class is trying to encourage reluctant students to participate. Students that prefer to keep to themselves and avoid participating can cause them to fall behind and miss out on opportunities to better strengthen their speaking and communication skills. There are many different techniques and strategies that can help these students feel more comfortable and have the same opportunities to comfortably participate as the rest of the class. A student can be reluctant to participate for several reasons. Usually, it is because they are shy or embarrassed at their struggle with the content being taught. They may compare themselves to students who excel in the course, thus causing a lack in confidence and a feeling that their input is not beneficial or needed. It is important to remember that everyone learns and reacts to different forms of stimuli, therefore, using different teaching styles and techniques are beneficial to find the styles that reluctant students best react to. One common activity that can encourage participation from quiet students is pair-work or group activities. This can increase a student’s confidence, knowing that his or her audience is smaller and more acceptable. It allows for them to work with students with which they feel more comfortable. Sometimes students feel intimidated by the teacher and feel afraid to make mistakes, thus they are more likely to relate to their peers and be more comfortable with making mistakes. It also allows sociable students to help and encourage their fellow peers to participate, giving advice and assistance. Another technique that can be useful is to allow students to prepare what they are going to say before they are required to say it. These activities will allow the students to feel more prepared when asked to speak. Several activities can allow for this, like preparing presentations or through homework and classwork activities. This can also be done in pairs or groups to further encourage a more comfortable participation experience. If reluctance to participate is brought on by boredom or disinterest, activities such as games and competitive activities can encourage their participation. Where academic subjects may elude some, competition and fun activities can spark the desire to participate, even if the content is not interesting to them. Having fun incorporated into the lesson as much as possible is a great way to maintain the attention and participation of the students. Every class has at least one or two students who find little desire to participate. They prefer to listen and allow others to do the participating for them. It is easy to simply let them be and focus on the more active students, but this is not fair to the other students who are enrolled in the class. It is the duty of the teacher to provide each student with the best education possible. Trying several techniques and changing activities can help each student have the opportunity to break out of their comfort zone and enable the best learning experience possible. Through group work, controlled practice, and fun activities and games, each student can be encouraged and motivated to participate and learn to their fullest potential.
