How to make your shy learners shine.pdf

How to make your shy learners shine.
“Ways Teachers Can help Shy Learners”
By : Mr.Samir Bounab
But what about those students who stay shy and withdrawn through weeks and weeks of classes?
We have all had a shy learner in the class.
You know, that learner who stays very silent during class work.
The one who stares at her desk when you are looking for your learners to answer.
The one who did his homework but never gave the answers aloud.
The one who got great mark and teacher thinks he or she cheated because such learners never
take part in the lessons nor behave as their mates
Although it is great to have a range of different personality and temperaments learners in a classroom,
teachers have to worry if learners are always quiet.
It is not about getting these students to ‘overcome’ their shyness or turning them into extroverted
students. It is about encouraging and supporting them, creating a learning environment that they feel
comfortable in. They will provide you with a little more, but it takes time.
They are not being disruptive or creating problems for the rest of the class, which makes it easy to just
let them fade into the background and consider shyness as not special educational need, But putting in
the effort to get those learners to participate is a big challenge for teachers.
As a teacher, supporting and encouraging shy students in your class can sometimes be one of those
‘thoughts’ you have every good intention of focusing on.
Shyness is a difficulty experienced by many learners. Learners who are shy will experience anxiety
and want to avoid many educational situations. Teachers may falsely belief these students are less
capable and less intelligent. As a result, these students are unable to reach their full potential in the
academic setting.
Teachers and other staff must be aware of the needs of shy students as well as know how to address
them
Teachers have many ideas about their shy students. Most agree that shyness can negatively impact
student futures. However, we have seen that this does not have to be the case.
What challenges teachers face once in class?
1. Lack of Time
2. Lot of Paperwork
3. trying to satisfy slow learners and quick learners.
4. Get Burn out Easily:Feeling overworked, unsupported, underpaid, lack of personal time and not
getting proper rest(being treated badly).
5. Pressure from School Administration
6. Testing
7. Lack of Parental Support and care .
8. Overcrowded programs.
9. Disciplining Students
10. Working too many roles at the same time
11. Teachers being made responsible for more than they should (teachers don’t feel that the
responsibility is equally shared between them, parents, and students.)
Mr.Samir Bounab (yellowdaffodil66@gmail.com )

12. Applying a prescribed curriculum.
13. Inspiring Students to be More Self-Directed
14. Textbook Exposure to learning (follow the textbooks and teach by keeping a vision on final exams
that the students have to go through.)
15. Dealing with a silent class
 Being a teacher is tough. From keeping up with the curriculum, forming lesson plans, correcting
endless answer sheets and homework to actually trying to teach uninterested students, the life of an
teacher is a rash of tasks.
 Classrooms are filled with learners of different personalities, interests and abilities.
 Teachers have to manage each individual differently to bring everyone on the same page
How many kinds of learners teachers meet everyday in class ?
 10 kinds of students you meet in every class.
1)The teacher’s pet : Always ready to show homework, answer the questions and help the teacher .
2) The silent one : The silent ones are either shy, introverts or under-confident.
3)The back-bencher : students who choose to sit at the back of the class
4)The chatterbox : The chatterboxes just cannot keep quite for more than a minute.
5)The over-enthusiast : The over-enthusiast’s hand shoots up for every question.
6)The trouble-maker : trouble-makers are known for their ability to be magnetically drawn to the what
not allowed
7)The excuse-machine : student in the class who uses his or her intelligence in all the wrong places
8)The sloth : This kid comes to class with heavy eyes and falls asleep immediately.
9)The tech-addicts : Tech-addicts text under the desk thinking they will never be caught.
10)The topper : a student who gets the highest results in the class.
What Do Teachers Think of Shy learners ?
• Shy learners are behind academically: .
• That Shy learners Lack Social Skills:
• That Shy learners Lack Confidence:
• That Shy learners Need to be Fixed
• That Shy learners Need Extra Support:
• That Shy learners Are Disengaged
• That Shy learners Are Unhappy
• That Shy learners Lack Ambition
• That Shy learners Are Just Like Them
• A learner who stays totally silent during the lesson or any collaborative learning teacher in class
• The one who stares at the board when the teacher is looking for someone to call on?
• The one who did his/ her homework, but never gave the answers aloud.
• A learner that, no matter how you tried, you just couldn’t convince to get involved.
• Shyness about an accent or fear of getting things wrong, such learners do not want to come out of
their shells.
• Our leaners are so afraid of taking part in group tasks and from making mistakes and errors
Wrapping Up What Do Teachers Think of Shy Students
 Teachers have many ideas about their shy students. Most agree that shyness can negatively impact
student futures. However, we’ve seen that this doesn’t have to be the case.
 The effects of shyness is really individual and dependent upon many other factors. If you, your
learners are shy, the best way to support them is to ask them about it and whether or not they see it as
something ‘to overcome.’

How to describe a shy learner ?
 Shyness can mean feeling :
 uncomfortable,
 self-conscious,
 nervous,
 bashful,
 timid,
 insecure.
 A lack of comprehension, so the student doesn’t know what they’re being asked to do
 A lack of fluency, so the student can’t put together an answer, at least in a reasonable amount of
time
 A dislike of the topic, or even of the teacher themselves, which leads to recalcitrance and a
refusal to participate (as opposed to being unable to do so)
 The fear of making a mistake, especially in front of classmates; this is more common in Asia
than anywhere else in the world
 Tiredness, emotional problems, distractibility, and other personal issues
Students may be shy for reasons related to:
 Personality traits
 Learned behaviors
 Situational factors
How to Encourage and Support Shy learners in your Class?
 Ten Ideas to Encourage and Support Shy Students in your Class:
 It is important to note that any of these suggestions should be an option for all students in your class.
 Do not make special exceptions for the ‘shy’ learner in your class, as this will bring attention to
them, creating, even more, anxiety for them! There is often a natural tendency to want to be overly
protective of shy learner.
1. Build a Relationship and a Supportive Environment
2. Provide Non-Verbal Options
3. Don’t Pressure!
4. Use Collaborative Learning
5. Read Books and Hold Class Discussions
6. 6. Make Them Feel Needed
7. Involve Parents and Past Teachers
8. Role Play Social Situations
9. Set Individual Goals
10. What about Speeches?
More ideas to Encourage and Support Shy Students in your Class
1. Create a safe environment.
 To create an environment where these children can engage and learn, use the following tips:
• Be predictable. Use consistent behaviors, routines, expectations and clear rules.
• Be encouraging. Motivate students to take risks and always acknowledge their effort.
• Be aware. Recognize when students are feeling anxious and avoid pressuring them to participate.

2. Small groups
3. Rotate group leadership
4. Ask for and reward volunteers.
5. Participation at will
6. Match with a mentor
7. Use Polling Tools
8. Ask for Thumbs-Up Responses
9. Provide Alternative Ways to Contribute
10. Let Them Prepare
11. Make use of the Power of Pair Work
12. Do Your Homework
13. Do Call on learners at Random
14. Don’t shine the spotlight on them.
15. Don’t call on them for challenging questions
16. Don’t over-correct.
17. Don’t get too complex
Shy learners have fewer possibilities to develop social skills, have fewer friends, and increase feelings
of loneliness in most cases
1. Don't label him 'shy'
It is necessary never to call your learner 'shy' in the presence of other people. If the learner does not
communicate to a guest, you may say, 'she/he does not feel like chatting right now.' If the parents act
ordinary about their shyness, teachers and strangers will also take the prompt.
2. Leave after a while
No learner will grow to be self-sufficient and independent if the parent is hovering over him all the
time. Therefore, it is essential to judge when to leave the kid with his own devices while unfamiliar
with his surroundings
If parents are too protecting, the kid will not learn better skills and mechanisms.
3.Role-playing
Role-playing can be amazingly useful, especially when the learner has to interact with a grown-up,
conceivably teacher. You could imagine circumstances when the child has neglected to bring a book
and act out how he would excuse to the teacher, for example.
4.Give him 'warm-up' time..
Regularly give your learners some warm-up time before introducing them to strangers or before
joining them in a new school or academy. Let them be with you for a while, observing the
surroundings and the people till he feels more at peace.
5. Do not compare the learner with others.
Teachers and parents should take care not to compare the shy kid with others. Comparisons to a more
confident kid discourage rather than inspire the shy learner. Instead of comparing and struggling with
other people, teach your learner to compare himself with his older versions and show him how much
greater he has become.
6. Teach the shy learner how to do everything by himself/ herself
Whenever there is a chance or an opportunity arises, teach your learner to do minor tasks, such as
organizing the tables, cleaning the board….

7. Acknowledge even minor achievements
Nothing builds courage like honest appreciation. Address a pat on the back or a thumbs up for even
minor successes. Even being able to interact with classmate…
8. Help shy learner shine in what he/she likes.
Being skilled in a particular area does wonder for one's self-confidence. It need not be academics. It
could be anything from playing volleyball to painting to cooking. Just help him find his healthy place,
and help him raise it.
9.Never more force a learner to talk or interact.
It is not a great idea to force a shy learner to talk or communicate with all the class. If a learner is not
ready for it, it is always better to remain until he is settled. Overpowering a child to socialize can be
traumatic for a shy learners.
10. Take him out often with you.
A shy learner needs as many chances as possible to meet other people and be in a friendly ambiance.
This will not be frightening to him because you are there with him. After many such outings, he will
feel optimistic about going out and meet people on his own.
11. Accept the learners as they are
If your shy learner is not an outgoing type, choosing to be quiet and thoughtful, perhaps that is this
way he/she intended to be. He/she may be an introvert, and living an introvert is nothing to be self-
conscious of. Whatever tendencies the learner displays, he/she has to be accepted as he is, altogether.
Such unconditional acceptance often takes out the best in learners and paradoxically expresses them
out so much that they begin to enjoy others' partnership.
Summary:
 Very few ‘shy’ learners are so timid that they cannot talk at all – most can be persuaded to come out
of their shells, and with the correct support, their confidence will grow over time.
 Don’t push them too hard, give them time, but don’t be too soft on them either and over-praise them
when they do contribute.
 Given the opportunity, all students want the opportunity to shine, they just go about it in different
ways.
By: Mr.Samir Bounab (Teacher Trainer )

How to make your shy learners shine.pdf

More Related Content

Similar to How to make your shy learners shine.pdf (20)

More from Mr Bounab Samir (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

How to make your shy learners shine.pdf