Differentiating for Introverted Students
At least 25% of students are drained by social interactions; here are some tips for meeting their needs.
Danny had good grades… except in French. His written work was pretty accurate, but he flat out refused to speak to a partner, to present, or to complete any other oral component of the class. When I addressed this with Danny, he shrugged. “I just don’t like to talk”. My patient explanations about the nature of a language class didn’t convince him. “I know the stuff,” Danny insisted. “I don’t see why I have to say it out loud.”
Danny stubbornly refused to demonstrate oral proficiency. I stubbornly insisted, and his grade started to drop. Then Covid lockdowns sent our class online. School policy froze Danny’s grade at a low C and I never heard from him again.
We’ve all been there - frustrated by students who just refuse to speak. And while (of course) the oral component of our class is foundational, I wonder if a softer approach would have been more effective with this student. In retrospect, I realize Danny was a fairly strong introvert, forced without his consent into a very interactive classroom. He didn’t have the maturity or emotional intelligence to deal with this, and I didn’t have the flexibility to allow for his personality (which frustrated me). Not a happy ending.
While Danny was on an extreme, many students struggle with the interpersonal components of world language classes. And I can identify with this! My happy place is on my couch with a cup of tea and a book. While I love teaching, my daily interactions with kids do drain me and I need quiet time to recharge. I’m an introvert. This doesn’t mean I’m shy or antisocial, and I’ve learned to harness my introversion positively! (Next week I’ll write about the secret power of an introverted teacher.) Even so, at the end of the day interpersonal interactions suck away my energy.
Constant interaction is exhausting for introverted students
This happens for some of our students too. Introverted students face unique challenges in the classroom.
How many students are introverts? Estimates vary. MENSA suggests that 25% of the population is introverted (source) while The Myers-Briggs personality inventory puts the number at almost 57% (source). Whichever number you accept, it’s fair to assume that in any classroom, a large number of students will feel drained, rather than energized, by the games, group work, and personal sharing we do in class.
There are several reasons world language classes tend to cater to extroverted students.
Most teachers are, by nature, extroverts. We love talking to, coaching, and investing in our students. We specialize in relationships. Spending time with people energizes us.
As is human nature, most of us are teaching the class WE would have enjoyed as a student. Thus, we incorporate a lot of group work and speaking activities. We like it, so we do it with our students.
More than most disciplines, World Language is intrinsically an interpersonal exercise. If you’re not willing to put yourself out there, talk, and interact openly with other humans, it’s hard to make language proficiency gains.
None of this is a criticism, by the way. It’s just an observation of the way most world language classes are structured… and rightly so.
But now, put yourself in the shoes of an introverted student. School is already a somewhat draining experience, with hours of interpersonal interaction. Then you walk into world language class and are expected to have conversations with multiple people, talk, present, and interact… everything that wears you out. It’s exhausting.
As teachers we consider all kinds of educational needs. Would it not be appropriate, then, to plan and differentiate for this significant subset of students? How can we help introverted students without sacrificing the communicative aspects of our classroom?
“In any classroom, a large number of students will feel drained, rather than energized, by the games, group work, and personal sharing we do in class. ”
Here are a few suggestions:
Use Hand Signals
Hand signals are a great way to quickly survey the classroom, and they allow introverted students to fully participate in a low-key way. I might use hand signals as follows:
“Hold up your fingers on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 means you love watching basketball, 5 means it’s OK, and 1 means you hate it.”
“Give me a thumbs up if you understood most of the video, a ‘thumbs medium’ if you understood the main ideas, and a thumbs down if you’re not sure about it.”
I also teach my students the sign language letters “A, B, C, D”. This allows kids to quickly signal answers to multiple choice questions in a full-class comprehensible input activity.
Secret signals can be a good way to accommodate all kinds of learners. A secret signal could include an agreed-upon hand motion or placing a book in the corner of the desk to inconspicuously signal a need to the teacher. Read here how secret signals made a difference for Mary, a student who was very shy about her visual impairment.
Use “curated” randomized calling
Many teachers use randomized name pickers to call on students. This practice ensures all students are called on equitably and that students can’t ‘check out’ mentally during class discussions. However, for introverted kiddos the fear of being called to speak publicly can raise their affective filter to the point that learning is negatively impacted.
One way to mitigate this drawback is to prep your shyer students ahead of time. As I’m circulating in the classroom, I’ll approach a student with this need and let them know “I’m going to call you on to answer question four, so get ready!” Sometimes this warning is enough, and sometimes I’ll take it a step further and let the student practice their answer with me. Sometimes I even tell the student, “I’m going to call on you for question four, and here’s what I want you to answer.”
This approach holds students accountable to participate in class, while respecting their individual personality and learning style.
Give students silent time to think and prepare
Related to the above; build in time for students to think silently or jot a few notes before they are asked to speak, share, or perform. This is good practice in general, but is especially helpful for our introverts.
Alternate interactive and independent activities
This tip is self-explanatory. It’s easier for a student to stretch out of their comfort zone if they know a less-draining activity is coming next.
Post your lesson activities and walk through the plan at the beginning of class.
This goes along with the previous tip. Knowing what’s coming helps every student manage their attention span and energy level during your class period.
Offer choices
When practical, give students some choice about who they work with or which activities they do. This practice fosters engagement and respects the needs of individual learners.
Allow students to record speaking assignments privately
For oral assignments, I like to have students record their speaking rather than performing live. This allows me to assess more thoughtfully, provides a portfolio of student progress, and lowers the stress level for many students. I do ask kids to record during class, but they can step into the hallway or find a quiet corner of the room to complete their work. I’ve made exceptions for very nervous individuals to complete their recordings at home.
Do kids record more than once? Of course. But I’m OK with this - it just means they practice more and become more confident with their speech. (You can make sure your students HATE speaking; click here to learn how!)
Provide a little security.
I find having a note card with a few bulleted notes helps students relax immensely when speaking or recording. Gradually remove the notes as students become more comfortable.
Emphasize reflection and self-evaluation
Introverts’ strength lies in their world of inner thoughts. We can capitalize on this in the classroom by encouraging students to set their own goals and monitor their own progress. Good rubrics and self-evaluation practices are key to capitalizing introverted students’ strengths! Click here learn how to write student-friendly rubrics, and here for ideas to teach meaningful self-evaluation .
Remember Danny-the-non-speaker from my Covid-lockdown classroom? His story is one of my failures as a teacher… but I learned a lot from that experience. I’m happy to say that today, there is a lot more space in my classroom for kids who aren’t comfortable talking so much. And of course, these are just my brainstorms; none of these activities is a ‘sliver bullet’ that will work with every introverted student or in every situation. My main goal with this post is to start a conversation about a factor that influences many of our students’ classroom experiences.
Have you differentiated for introverts in your classroom? Share in the chat
