Establish the norm that students wishing to participate (ask a question or make a comment) should raise their hands rather than call out. Then, call on a range of raised hands. Avoid calling on the first hand you see (Shafer, 2017).

Students may feel intimidated or silenced by the perceived high power distance between them and you. To address this, you might present yourself as someone willing to show emotion and learn from mistakes. You might tell a story about what it was like for you as a learner. You can also make it clear to the students that you want them to address you (Reda, 2009). 

Bell and Golombisky (2004) note that minority students’ responses are often overlooked in class, and that faculty even hesitate to give detailed feedback for fear of hurting the student’s feelings. To support students who may get overlooked, you can try to learn their names first, including correct pronunciation. Be ready to call on them when their hands or eyebrows go up.  

Also, avoid giving general responses, like “okay”: instead, try to provide equally thoughtful and detailed responses, including praise and constructive criticism. 

Create a Padlet and ask students to post words and images representing what’s important for their learning and participation. Give examples to help students with their ideas, such as respecting different perspectives, creating and maintaining a safe space for all, engaging in civil discourse, using person-centered language, etc. Revisit these co-constructed values throughout the semester to check with students on how well the class is upholding them using an anonymous survey, poll, or class discussion (Plotts, 2020). 

Students may gain confidence when they see profiles of people who look and sound like them in your field. You might emphasize strong and visible role models of women and women of colour in math and science fields. You can show students that they are capable of a career path in your area by providing diverse role models, champions, and people in the examples you share in your teaching. (Paquet, 2021).  

Early in the semester, invite students to anonymously write down what their concerns might be when it comes to classroom discussion. Or, provide a list and invite students to check off items what applies to them. These might include being called on by surprise, being asked to present in front of others, being interrupted or overpowered by others, feeling judged or made fun of, and being critiqued for having a different opinion. Then together as a class you can brainstorm ways to address them.  

As a class, have students compose simple interview questions, then set up pair interviews. Students then introduce their partner to the rest of the class. Encourage other members to look for similarities and differences in the students their partners introduce. This activity might be de-briefed with some discussion about the importance of similarities and differences when working together.

Have students write an autobiography in 20 words. They can share specific interests, strengths, and values. Model what you expect using phrases like “cares for others” or “likes to clean.” Invite students to share their autobiography in pairs or small groups. This activity might be debriefed with some discussion about how people more esily relate to others if they know a little about them (Saunders & Kardia, 1997).

In the Equal is More game, students should work together to ensure they speak exactly fifty percent or half of the time, perhaps judged by a monitoring student in each group (Case, 2011). Group members can try to get each other to speak more, and then others must match it. This activity might be de-briefed with some discussion on why “equal” can be challenging to monitor and manage.  

Have students consider which animal might be the best leader of other animals, thinking about strong, quick, and dominant animals like lions or bears. Then, talk about how effective teamwork and leadership require more than just strength. Show the students this video, “Wisdom of the Geese,” to illustrate how geese exemplify the best leadership qualities, taking turns leading and supporting each other, which serves as a powerful metaphor for effective teamwork and leadership in human teams.

Students don’t necessarily know why discussion will help them to learn. They may feel pressured to do something they feel uncomfortable or unclear about doing. Or, they may feel they should be searching for the “correct” answer the professor wants, rather than listen to different opinions. You can help students to understand the “why” of discussion by helping them to understand the purpose of discussion and the rules for interacting (Reda, 2009). Here are some different statements that can articulate the purpose of a question or discussion: 

• I want you to articulate your own opinion or idea, to express yourself. 
• I want you to share your experience and expertise on this topic with me.  
• I want students in this class to learn from each other. 
• I want students to see a range of possible responses.  
• I want to see if you understand the material (e.g., give the “right” answer). 
• I want to give you feedback and clarification on the answers you give. 

Also, clarify whether discussion is teacher-led or student-led. A teacher-led discussion may include worked examples, demonstrations, or corrections of misconceptions and misunderstandings. A student-led discussion, by contrast, may mean that students have more autonomy and responsibility to explore their own ideas.  

For some students, there is a high degree of distance between their home language and the school language. If students believe they lack linguistic sophistication, academic authority, or prestige in class, they may be reluctant to share in class. To address this, you can compare “standardized” college English examples with “words make sense to you.” Avoid correcting students on grammar or word choice unless it is to clarify a technical term.

• How are you? (What’s up?)
• Questions or concerns (Doubts)
• Ask (Hit me up/Slide into DMs)
• Reply (Revert back)
• Graduated (Passed out)

Students may feel hesitant to share their views if they anticipate that other may have certain expectations of them. For example, students may stay silent if their views differ from the expected group “position” for fear of being admonished or isolated by members of their identifiable “group” (Saunders & Kardia, 1997). You might ask students to share their friends’ experiences or comments they’ve heard or seen. Explain that you are trying to create a “network” or a “prism” of different responses.

Putting students on the spot to answer questions in class can make them feel coerced and embarrassed, leading to a “fight, flight, or freeze” response. This can prevent them from answering questions they actually know. To avoid this, refrain from calling on students unexpectedly, even with good intentions.

Instead, do your own research and, if you need specific students’ perspectives, check their ability and willingness to comment publicly in advance. This prevents tokenism and avoids putting students in awkward positions, especially if they lack knowledge about the topic (Saunders & Kardia, 1997).

Sometimes saying less can lead to more active student engagement, especially during discussions. When teachers remain silent, they invite students to comment on each other’s ideas rather than offer evaluations. This approach models a type of learning where students focus less on absorbing the “right” answer and more on engaging with their peers’ thoughts (Reda, 2009). It also promotes the value of active listening.

Acknowledging that listening is as important as speaking is crucial. Giving credit for listening can be challenging since students show attention differently through body language and expressions. Despite these differences, faculty can emphasize listening as a vital part of classroom interaction. One effective practice to encourage listening is asking students to link their comments to a previous one.

If a few talkative students dominate discussions, give each student a token or a sticky note with a smiley face drawn on one side. Invite students to reflect on the value of their comments, given the limited time the class has to listen and speak to one another. Encourage them to think about how they can make the best and most valuable comments possible and “share the space” together.

Once a student has spoken, they give their token to the professor or turn over their sticky note to the happy face side. Students who have spoken may not speak again until everyone has returned their token or turned over their sticky note. 

For a discussion activity, first ask the entire class for a list of questions (and only questions) about the topic. Record students’ questions. If students who tend to talk a lot are the only ones to participate, then as a follow-up to the list of questions, ask only those who did not ask a question to try to answer one of those questions.  

This activity might be de-briefed to encourage students to think about how students may have answers to questions and others don’t know it! 

Participation can include written responses as well as oral ones. To encourage writing, invite students to do a “quick write” for 3 to 5 minutes on a set topic or question. Alternatively, students can write reflections based on comments from a talkative student (Howard & Weimer, 2015). Students explain their thoughts on an index card or using a polling tool. Collect these responses to share later in class for further discussion. This activity can be debriefed to help students see each other as opportunities for learning.

Students often remain silent when they fear being drilled, challenged, embarrassed, or criticized, especially if they think their comments are inadequate (Reda, 2009). To address this, allow students to speak without comment or criticism. At the end of class, give each student the floor to comment uninterrupted. All comments, questions, and observations are welcome, with the option to pass or say “ditto.” Remind students that cross-talk, evaluated statements, and negative comments are forbidden during this activity (Bell & Golombisky, 2004).

Reporting back closes the learning cycle and ensures that learners were on task. It also provides the opportunity to encourage active listening during group work. For instance, ask students to report after a small group discussion on the most profound or practical insights their partners said (Reda, 2019). In other words, they must listen and share not their own ideas but the ideas of others. 

Group exercises that identify the specific resources that each group member brings can be useful in the early stages of group formation. Inform students of your availability to discuss group process problems that the groups themselves have been unable to address (Saunders & Kardia, 1997). Remind students during breakout group time that all students must contribute to the group effort. A group role may be assigned to ensure equitable contribution. Perhaps give out stickies that students can place in the middle of a group when they have shared to indicate they have contributed. 

When groups are used, ensure that the same individuals do not always put themselves in the leadership position. Assigning students to roles (e.g., recorder/notetaker, reporter, moderator) or asking students to rotate roles should reduce this problem. (Saunders & Kardia, 1997). Or, give each group member a letter, and assign roles based on the letter. 

Put students in pairs to avoid dominating a breakout or small group activity. It is more difficult to exclude an individual when there are only two participants (Saunders & Kardia, 1997). Put dominating students together in the same pair or small group to give other students a chance to share. 

Be ready to challenge assumptions that groups will be aided or hindered by having certain kinds of students in their group. Spend some time informing the class that each individual brings a different combination of strengths and weaknesses into the group work context and that students should not make assumptions about what these might be before interacting with an individual.