Suppose, for example, that a student in a sociology class states that a woman s most important role in society is to be a mother. A more effective approach may be to follow up this response with a series of probing questions. While encouraging students to see all sides of an issue, be sincere and treat alternate views with the utmost respect. Students will stop participating if they feel their ideas are too quickly dismissed. Praise your Students Answers.
Strong reinforcement encourages students to speak and offers a model for other students to emulate.
Build on Your Students Responses. If you continue to discuss a point or return to your lecture after a student responds, try to incorporate the key elements of the response into the discussion or lecture. By using the student s response, the teacher shows that he or she values the points made. No matter how well-intended, a remark that embarrasses a student seldom encourages the student to work harder and often makes it difficult for the student to return to your class at all. Although it is not easy to determine what is appropriate in every situation, usually it is safe to model your behavior with students after their behavior with you.