CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE QUIET STUDENT

DR. ELIZABETH BATTALORA

• “Solitude matters, and for some people, it is the air they breathe.” - Susan Cain

FAMOUS INTROVERTS: RECALL THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS….

• Abraham Lincoln

• Eleanor Roosevelt

• Bill Gates

• Charles Darwin

• J. K. Rowling

• Albert Einstein

• Gandhi

• Rosa Parks

INTRODUCTION

• Approximately a third of the people we know are introverts.• These individuals are undervalued, often labeled “quiet.”• Introverts have much to contribute, such as Van Goh’s sunflowers,

and the invention of the personal computer.• Introverted students have contributions to the classroom that you

may not recognize.

MORE ABOUT INTROVERTS…

• Introverts like being alone.• Introverts enjoy being cooperative.• Introverts are careful, reflective thinkers who can

tolerate the solitude that idea-generation requires.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

• Reframe how introverts are viewed. Consider what they can offer, rather than seeing them as something that needs to be cured.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

• Re-examine classroom “group-work.”

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

• Balance teaching strategies to serve all students in the classroom.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

• Try “pair-sharing” techniques.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

• Wait, then wait a little more, after asking questions.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

• Use online teaching techniques.

TIPS FOR EDUCATORS

• When grading on class participation, consider awarding separate grades for content knowledge versus participation.

SOURCES

• The Teaching Professor Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 2015.

• Cain, S. (2013). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world

that can’t stop talking. Broadway Books, NY.