Supporting Introverts in the Classroom

This week’s article summary is Engaging the Quiet Kids: Brain Science and the Teaching of Introverts. 

A few weeks ago I sent out an article on introversion, which resonated for many of you.

This article provides some practical advice for how to honor introverted students in your classroom. 

Although the recommendations aren’t all that provocative, the key to me is that we as teachers don’t succumb to the idea that we are striving to develop extroversion in all our students. Remembering we have introverts and ensuring we include some classroom practices for them are part of a comprehensive classroom pedagogy.

Joe

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Why do so many introverts look back on high school as the worst time of their lives – and why do we accept this reality as normal and ‘OK’?

Do teachers have a full understanding of how tough a place an American school can be for introverts?

Do we realize what an extroverted act it is, in the first place, to go to school all day long in a classroom full of people, with constant stimulation, precious few breaks, and almost no quiet time or alone time?

Even for introverted kids who like school, it’s still an over-stimulating environment – not unlike an all-day cocktail party for an introverted adult (but without the alcohol).

Researchers have found that between one-third and one-half of students are introverts, but most teachers think the “ideal” student is an extrovert.

A number of introverts have achieved great success – among them Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, George Orwell, Steven Spielberg, Larry Page, Steve Wozniak, and J.K. Rowling – but their success may have been in spite of their schools.

Introverts differ from extroverts in the way their dopamine-based reward network reacts to external rewards – it’s less activated. Social situations that are energizing for extroverts are exhausting and unrewarding for introverts, who need to be alone to recharge their batteries after stimulating interpersonal interactions.

And while extroverts and introverts are equally warm and loving (dispelling the myth that introverts are somehow antisocial), extroverts are more likely to respond to the reward value of a social situation. As a consequence, they tend to seek positive social attention.

School is tailor-made for them: From grading students for participation (almost exclusively defined as raising one’s hand and speaking, rather than engaging quietly with the material), to an emphasis on cooperative learning and group discussion, to subtle and informal but powerful incentives for being well liked and socially active, schools reward outgoing students and penalize quiet ones.

Below are several ways for schools to right the imbalance:

Rethink grading for participation. The point of grades is to accurately assess students’ learning, not how much they talk in class. We encourage teachers to separate grades for learning from grades for participation. Why not give one grade for mastery of the material and a separate grade for character? The second grade would measure meaningful intellectual contributions, empathy, courage, persistence, listening, and respect for others.

Change classroom dynamics. Teachers should think about orchestrating classroom engagement, defined as how absorbed students are in a variety of tasks. Instead of whole-group discussions, this might involve “think, pair, share” with students reflecting, writing, and then discussing with one other classmate. This is also helpful for extroverts, who benefit from slowing down their thinking and putting a filter between their brains and their mouths. The best classroom structures push both introverts and extroverts out of their comfort zones. Another approach is posting several quotes around the classroom and asking students to engage in a “silent dialogue” about them, rotating from sheet to sheet “conversing” with classmates through their written comments and questions.

 Wait five or ten seconds before calling on students. This gives all students more time to think and shy students a chance to gather their courage.

Use social media in the classroom. Quiet students may have an easier time sharing their thoughts in an online response or blog, which will make them more confident in all-class discussions.

Rethink recess. The notion that all students should restore themselves, each and every day, by running out into a big noisy yard is very limiting, and frankly unimaginative. Students should have the option to play board games or chill by themselves.

Some quiet, please! Extroverts perform better academically in a lively environment while introverts do better when it’s quiet, so there is no one-size-fits-all formula for schools. In order to flourish, quiet students need to have the ability, for at least part of the day, to have some control over the amount of stimulation that is right for them to optimally learn.”