Achieving Balance in Class Discussion

I want to share some thoughts on class discussions from my days as a student that may be of help to you. In any group there will be those who speak more and those who speak less; this might be because of differences in personality, language fluency, or culture (e.g., one's background, of the larger society or the immediate group). I want everyone to participate and to the extent that we can -- some variation is natural -- it's worthwhile to try to achieve balance in classroom discussion. Unfortunately, I think I tended toward the extremes -- speaking a lot or hardly at all! But I discovered two strategies that helped me.

1. In classes in which the reading was difficult or unmotivating, I found that at least if I could come up with one decent comment or, even better, a good question that would be unique to me, I could still make a contribution to class. As a minimum, I found this to be achievable.
2. In classes where I was keen on the topic and had lots to say I tried to be conscientious of the time I took.During the final presentations in a class I really enjoyed and talked a lot in, one student who had been silent throughout gave an extraordinary talk! I thought what a pity that he didn't say more. Clearly, he had a lot to contribute and didn't for whatever reason. One of my theories now is that perhaps he was slow to chime in. Literature on teaching recommends that if one asks a question of students, don't immediately answer it for fear of silence: take a couple of breaths, or even say "take two minutes to think about this." So I began a practice of pacing myself, limiting myself to three really good responses in class, and then make sure others have had plenty of time before jumping in -- if at all -- to contribute.

These two techniques help ensure that as individuals we each have an opportunity of making a contribution while furthering the collaborative culture of the class as a whole.