Teaching College: The Ultimate Guide to Lecturing, Presenting, and Engaging Students
The #1 Reason Your Students Don’t Participate By Norman Eng, Ed.D. You know that feeling when someone embarrasses you? Or when you get shut down? Student does. They know when professors respond sarcastically. Or trivialized their responses. It makes students feel dumb, embarrassed. They learn to stop participating, real fast. It’s not your fault they're skeptical on the first day of class. Your job is to change that. Create a “safe, psychological space.” (Yes, that’s a thing.) This is the secret to engaging students. You want them feeling so comfortable—so safe—they’ll admit things they only admit to their friends. Last year one of my students actually confessed—out loud—she never reads in other classes. For me, however, she did. I felt honored. Not because I have such low expectations, but because she felt comfortable enough to be real. It also reveals a simple truth in students’ lives--if you’re willing to listen: most readings just aren’t useful (that'...