“Being introverted is not something to outgrow; it is something to accept and grow into — and even to cherish.” - Susan Cain Research continues to tell us that relationship is the driving factor that fosters successful learning. All students need to know they are valued. With introverted students specifically, it is essential that we as educators acknowledge and celebrate the quiet qualities of some of our students. Rather than shedding light on what they are not and encouraging them to be behave in a manner that is not authentic to them, highlight their strengths and encourage growth in a direction that is suitable and true to them. The more we can accept the unique qualities of all learners, the richer our relationships will be with them. In addition to celebrating the quiet qualities of our introverted students, it is important that we act as an advocate and support person as our students continue to develop. Living in a world that typically celebrates the "Extrovert Ideal", a term coined by Susan Cain (2012), we must empower our quiet learners to embrace and be confident in their abilities. Empower them to know that their voice is important and deserves to be heard.
Feedback
As educators, we already know the power of effective feedback. The way in which we respond to our quiet learners is especially important. Effective and positive feedback will have a significant effect on your relationship with your quiet learners. A few noteworthy areas of feedback that can support your quiet learners and your relationship with them are praise of social risk and positive reinforcement (Jennifer Granneman, n.d). The first step in praising social risk is identifying what that means for your quiet learners. The second step is to recognize and acknowledge specific social risk taking behaviours. It is important to remember that these risks may not appear as risks at all for more extroverted students, but are monumental nonetheless. Praising social risk will enrich the trust your students have in you, reaffirming that you are in their corner and value them as they are. Furthermore, positive reinforcement is another area of feedback that can support your quiet learners and your relationship with them. If a student of yours participates in an activity or goes out of their comfort zone in any way that results in a positive experience that they may have initially or once felt wary of, reinforce the effort and acknowledge the resulting positive outcome or experience (i.e., dreading a presentation and it going well). Positively reinforcing such experiences will help students with self-regulation of nervousness and dread (Granneman, n.d).
Touch Base Individually & Frequently
When your students walk through your door in the morning start taking your mental notes for the day. Watch for student expressions, both verbal and nonverbal, that convey any sort of message - boredom, enthusiasm, anger, motivation, anxiety, etc. Consider carving some time out of the beginning of your day for students to settle and get comfortable. This can be formal and guided by a prompt, or informal and self-directed. Nonetheless, encourage movement throughout the classroom to check in with peers and to check in with your if necessary. Heidi Kasevick (n.d.) claims that this time at the beginning of the day or class was arguably more important for the introverts than the extroverts in the room. She believes that students were able to re-enter the learning space with a refreshed sense of openness, centering, and trust; these few moments paved the way for increased concentration and engagement throughout the lesson. Moreover, this is an ideal time for you as an educator to touch base with your quiet learners, whether that be verbally with a check-in conversation or nonverbally with a smile and eye contact. Finally, an additional connection piece that can support your quiet learners is talking through their thoughts with them. Kasevick (n.d) notes that it is not natural for introverted students to ask for help. Furthermore, she notes that our quiet learners are more susceptible to getting lost in their own thoughts and that we ground them by echoing back to them what you believe they are thinking and/or trying to express.
References: Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. Jennifer Granneman (n.d). 15 Ways to Be a Better Parent to Your Introverted Kid. Retrieved from https://www.quietrev.com/15-ways-to-parent/ Heidi Kasevick (n.d.). There's More to Class Participation Than Raising Hands. Retrieved from https://www.quietrev.com/theres-more-to-class-participation/