[Siddhartha]

That’s a tough situation where there are no hard and fast answers. Sometimes you get lucky and have a group of students who are very willing to speak up in front of the class, and sometimes it’s a semester full of maddening tooth-pulling. There are a great many variables beyond content that will affect this, and the dynamic can be incredibly different from class to class.

All that in mind, you might give these a try:

• Teach them some general follow-up questions and statements. When it comes time for class discussion, have students ask YOU the same questions they answered. They listen to your answers and then someone will follow up with a statement or question that is directly relevant to what you said. This gets them to take part in a pretty natural exchange, without having too much attention on themselves. The focus will only be on any student who speaks up for a short time. It is also a bit more motivating, as they are going over the same topic/material again without having to simply rehash what they already said in their small groups or pairs.

• Play around with the seating arrangement. You might find that putting boys together and girls together will make students feel less self-conscious and more supported by their peers. Then again, you might find that there is clique of uncooperative students that should be broken up.

• Prepare a list of questions/prompts which cover the same topic already discussed, but are different enough that students actually have to think again. Chalk them up on the board so everyone can consider them at length and won’t forget them while other students are talking.