The Good Old Puzzle of Dealing With Shy Students

The Good Old Puzzle of Dealing With Shy Students

No matter how tough and inaccessible they look on the surface, shy students can be as delightful to work with and impart knowledge to, as any other personality type. The trick is how you open the shell and not break it!

EVERY teacher or mentor has an individual version of a ‘nightmare’. For some, it can be the case of dealing with a stubborn and rigid mind. For others, it can be the case of rowdy and unruly teenagers who just won’t let chaos go away.

If by any chance your personal ‘nightmare’ idea involves approaching a shy student, well, it’s time you face your fears.

For a shy student is very much a mind capable to open up, learn and collaborate with others. The only slight hurdle is knowing the ‘when’ and the ‘how’ to enter this invisible fortress that most shy students construct around themselves.

Here are some tenets you can use to make them your friends and not the reason for heebie-jeebies:

1. Break  your rigidity first

How many of us subconsciously sideline the presence of such people in a party, at a football match or a meeting? Ask yourself frankly if it’s you who is more uncomfortable approaching them and not vice versa. Because no matter how much we deny it, we carry some hard-wired assumptions about introverts vs. extroverts.

Susan Cain, a self-confessed introvert, and a well-accomplished speaker today, recalls the same perceptions that she confronted when she went to a camp in her childhood.

In this passionate talk (Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4) she nails society’s attitude to different personality types very well. But as she distills perfectly, just because someone is soft-spoken does not mean they do not have stuff worth sharing about. It also does not imply that they lack confidence or content, and if only people could relish the magic of a soft voice, the world would be full of more introverts spreading what their brilliant minds hold inside.

So even before you think of improving the involvement of shy students in your class, first take an invisible hammer and shatter all those long-standing stereotypes you may have carried. Just because someone seems aloof, uninterested or apparently arrogant, does not imply that they should be ignored or misinterpreted.

IMAGE: Shy strip1

Courtesy: http://www.thecomicstrips.com/subject/The-Shy-Comic-Strips.php

2. Understand their inner workings

How can you drive a car unless you know what gears do, how an accelerator functions and exactly how a brake fits in? Apply the same logic when dealing with a shy student.

Courtesy: https://blog.bufferapp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/innie-outie-brains.png

The neural and behavioral anatomy of introverts is different from that of the more interactive students in your class and that’s what makes them a little stand-offish. Like an interesting study by researcher Inna Fishman, from the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California pointed out - extroverts prefer human faces while introverts may not necessarily be bothered about the difference between a face and an inanimate object. May be that’s why they do not enjoy or seek social interaction the way their counterparts do and that’s why their counterparts sound more assertive and outspoken. It’s just a case of a neural structure of a specific personality reacts to different stimuli as Fishman and her colleagues discovered by studying an intriguing brain electricity activity called. You can find out more in the internal factory nuances of an introvert’s brain at

http://www.livescience.com/8500-brains-introverts-reveal-prefer.html)

But, Stimuli! Hmm! Hold that thought for a while and this may come handy when we discuss different outreach approaches ahead.

Meanwhile you can try a Quick test for picking introverts (adaptation: Susan Cain’s ‘Quiet’ and contemporary research insights)

They prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities

True False

They enjoy solitude during most school activities

True False

They seem to care about wealth, fame, and status less than their peers

True False

They pop brilliantly as the top faces in class on listening skills

True False

They avoid risk-taking generally

True False

They enjoy work that allows to "dive in" with few interruptions. Like: Essay writing or case analysis

True False

They would rather celebrate birthdays on a small scale, with only one or two close friends or family members

True False

They appear as "soft-spoken" or "mellow"

True False

They prefer not to show or discuss work with others until it's finished

True False

They think before they speak

True False

If you answered the majority of the questions true, you're facing a shy student, an introvert. If the answers were mixed, then the person is an ambivert.

Courtesy: www.sociallyawkardmisfit.com

3. Focus on their unique advantages

Numerous studies have corroborated the idea that introvert people are as much, and at times, more prone at being successful leaders and at other impactful roles in different walks of life and professions.

Some researchers have even argued that introverted leaders, may appear to be quietly powerful individuals among us, but they could be the ones who have the “right stuff” to accomplish things. (Check out for more insights at Link: http://ryan-jenkins.com/2012/11/12/introverted-leaders-the-right-mentors-for-millennials-guest-post/)

The distraction could be their ‘less speaking’ and that’s where one has to think of this characteristic as an advantage and not a constraint. Like, author, speaker, and executive coach Jennifer Kahnweiler, highlights very well - ‘Introverted leaders’ are low key. Now if they think before they speak, and consider others’ comments carefully, no matter how casual or crucial a conversation is, how can that be a handicap? On the contrary, if someone can reflect before responding, that’s a good strength to have. Same when someone can tune in and really listen to people, ask great questions and use this information to figure out what matters to a person (all of which, by the way, are distinct characteristics that introverts usually carry).

Shy people can look unavailable but they also tend to prepare for discussions, presentations, and meetings. So if a teacher can get a grip on how do these students actually operate and not just outrightly dismiss their presence; the shy lot can be a huge positive element in the classroom and for knowledge’s real value.

Introverts, in short, are equipped with many wonderful qualities, including the capacity for deep thought, the potential to intensely focus on important tasks, and even a high level of emotional sensitivity.

All you need to do as a teacher is to channelize these very attributes where they can be most relevant – those parts or depths of your curriculum where focus and intensity and sensibilities are vital tools. But be wary - They have tough hides and will easily avoid you if you give them bullets so give them something they won’t dodge but rather seek out.

4. Now the ‘How’

Ok, remember we were talking about some ‘stimuli’ stuff? Now that we know that they are not two different species but just two sets of personality types who respond really differently to stimulation, we can take note of what Susan Cain, author of ‘Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking’, empathized. Use different stimuli for both and for different purposed. A shy student would be prone to be involved in environments that are less ‘externally’ stimulating – but equally or may be more, intellectually stimulating. The ‘not so shy’ students, on the other hand, would be 'high stimulus' people and they can be involved by talking loudly, passionately, and using external stimuli.

(Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/introverts-workplace_n_6341204.html?ir=India)

●     In other words, plan your course and class-room sessions in such a manner that there is room for stimuli for both sets of personalities and also some extra room for making both work and collaborate together.

●     Remember that a shy person usually feels the energy is unnecessarily drained when in human contact or conversation. This explains the contrast well when his opposite squeezes unlimited energy by being around people and being part of activities.

●     Make sure that you do not poke or push too much. Be gentle. Create interesting, lateral activities or discussion formats inside the classroom and let this shy person open a window.

●     Be gentle. Let go if there is no success in the beginning. But as long as you are not too impatient or judgmental, you will definitely be able to woo the shy student in, with just a little effort and creativity.

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Courtesy: youtube.com

●     If you are expecting a shy student to immediately jump or sing or dance before a class, or if you want to pull him/her in boring or cliché discussions; you would be too disappointed. But if you ask him/her subtly to contribute when there is a dead-end in some discussion, this person may actually come out with some of the most astonishing points.

●     This is your onus as a teacher or knowledge mentor to make the topic really interesting for both sets. Make it worth their while for shy people come out of their shell and participate. Create pairs or teams and mix them with more outgoing and patient students. Reward them with adequate appreciation and recognition in front of the whole group.

●     Remember that shy people are prone to get bored way too quickly and easily so it’s a big responsibility and a challenge to keep them inside the topic and not letting them escape back inside the nooks of their minds.

You can also use technology’s aid here.

This is interesting and well-proven as a resource concept and in a study titled ‘Social media and higher education: introversion and collaborative learning from the student’s perspective’ Ronald J.J. Voorn and Piet A.M. Kommers, University of Twente, The Netherlands have even manifested that introverts find social media as an helpful accessory to amplify their collaborative learning performance and self-confidence.

Take a leaf put this research’s results and use the virtual medium to blend different personalities smoothly enough.

(Link: http://www.academia.edu/2061747/Social_Media_and_Higher_Education_Introversion_and_Collaborative_Learning_from_the_Students_Perspective)

To cut a long story short….

The famous psychologist Carl Jung was absolutely right, "There is no such thing as a pure extrovert or a pure introvert. Such a man would be in the lunatic asylum."

Even a shy student will have dimensions of an extrovert and vice versa. So all your activities, whether tailored for introverts or extroverts, will have ample scope for both kinds if you know their moods, their inclinations well.

Both personality types, hence, have their virtues and challenges. The biggest challenge though is not how to involve a shy student but how not to get too carried away on this tangent and forgetting the other lot in your class.

Give them assignments and knowledge channels as per their stimuli and brain’s comfort level, appreciate and reward their unique traits and try to use their silent power at the right time and in the best possible manner. 

An ocean may look calm on the surface, but that’s usually where the waters run really deep. Next time, have a peek inside these depths and make these shy minds your accessories instead of just furniture waiting idly for the class to get over. You will soon find them turning into what we call - ‘a dream come true!’