Are you an introvert? Here's why you should be speaking up in class

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  introvert

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  Kids in Art Class

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  Children in School

If you are an introvert, you are probably one smart cookie. According to (Pastor, 2013) fifty percent of introverts are gifted and three quarters of this group are in the super gifted category. Why then are educators always insisting that introverts need to ask more questions and contribute more in class discussions? It is certainly not because they are not knowledgeable. Maybe it’s because if introverts shared their deep thinking and ideas to the whole class; several students may benefit.

I have four children, three of them are introverts. They are highly intelligent successful adults now. When they attended school, during teacher parent interview I was constantly told, “if only your children would speak up, they need to ask more questions, join in classroom discussions.” This response from teachers would annoy me profoundly. If they hadn’t spoken up since grade prep, why would they start now in secondary school!

(Kahnweiler, 2013) in the book Quiet Influence, suggests that one of the attitudes that may cause problems within workplaces and classrooms regarding hearing the voice of an introvert is that there is more value placed on an instant response rather than a well thought out response. Yet, surely, it’s the well thought out responses we as educators want to hear from our student?

According to ( Weingarten, 2005) Co operative learning may be the key to encouraging quiet students to speak up, especially when they are grouped with peers that they have strong relationships with. In addition to co operative learning spaces I am left to ponder whether educators need to consider strategies to provide students with more time to reflect? Do our pedagogies need adjusting to ensure lessons have enough allocated time to allow deep thinking to occur?

Therefore, let’s consider our wonderful deep-thinking introverts in the classroom by giving them the time and space they need. Then when they are ready, give them the opportunity to share their well thought out ideas and knowledge in a way that doesn’t inhibit them. Stop trying to turn introverts into extroverts!

On a final note, I am an extrovert! Raising introvert children has opened my eyes to the enviable qualities of those that don’t blurt out every little thing that pops in their head! So thankyou to my children, once again you have provided me with valuable life lessons.

Pastor, J. (2013). Success as an Introvert For dummies. For Dummies

Weingarten, T. (2005). When quiet kids get forgotten in class; Teachers sometimes make the mistake of assuming that students who don't speak up have little to contribute. (2005, April 26). Christian Science Monitor, p. 11.