The Language Teacher
September 2002
Hands Up! Encouraging Shy Students to Raise Their Hands in Class
Kay Hammond
International Christian University
QUICK GUIDE
Key Words: Shy students, student response
Learner English Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Learner Maturity Level: Junior High School and Above
Preparation Time: Minimal
Activity Time: Minimal interruption of class time
Materials: Photocopy of Appendix 1 made into four cards for each student
Rationale
Having students raise their hands to indicate their understanding or agreement with a point is a time effective method for teachers during classroom instruction. However, a commonly frustrating experience for teachers in Japan is the reluctance of students to raise their hands in class. This can be particularly noticeable in large classes where the students do not know each other well. Many students are embarrassed to admit when they do not understand, especially if they think the rest of the class does. This creates difficulties for teachers who, in the absence of any form of feedback from the students, become uncertain as to whether to proceed with the lesson or backtrack to cover the point or instructions again.
An effective way to encourage students to raise their hands is to give them cards with answers on them to hold up. The key point is that all students must hold up a card, even if it is a card that states that they do not wish to answer. This classroom technique was developed with a mixed level class of 30 first year economics students at a university in Shiga prefecture. At the start of the term the students were reluctant to raise their hands. At the end of the term, by using the following procedure to introduce the cards the students willingly raised their hands even without the use of the cards.
Procedure
Pre-class
Make four cards for each student in the class. A more durable set of cards can be made if it is laminated. If possible, make the sure the answer written on a card cannot be seen through the card from behind.
In Class
Step 1. Distribute the cards to the students at the start of the class. These can be placed on desks near the door for students to collect as they enter the room.
Step 2. In the first class, explain to the students that they must raise their hands while holding up the card that indicates their answer. Stress that all students must hold up a card when a question is asked. Students who do not wish to answer a question should hold up the 'pass' card.
Step 3. The teacher should decide how many 'no' or 'not sure' cards constitute grounds for further explanations.
Step 4. Collect the cards at the conclusion of the class.
Step 5. Use the cards for a few weeks and then 'forget' to bring them. See if students are willing to raise their hands. If not, continue to use the cards until the students are confident enough to raise their hands without them.
Step 6. When the cards are no longer being used, choose a hand position to represent 'not sure', for example, holding the forearm horizontally in front of the face.
Student Reaction
The students regarded the cards positively. One student said she found the 'not sure' card useful when she thought she understood, but wanted more information. Another student said the cards were especially useful at the beginning of term when the students did not know each other well. Many students commented that they needed the cards at the start of the term and then became confident enough to raise their hands without them.
Teacher's Note
This idea was an adaptation of a procedure used by Norma Shapiro (2000). In her vocabulary acquisition classes, she had students hold up cards that said 'Yes', 'No' or 'Not Sure'. She used these cards as a non-demanding way of checking student comprehension of new vocabulary items before moving on to the more challenging production stage. During her demonstration of this it became obvious how easy and efficient it was to see the responses of the whole class at a glance. Furthermore, class members were mostly unable to see the responses of the others.
The implication of this for encouraging shy students to respond to questions was immediate. Through the addition of a 'pass' card, all students would be required to raise their hands, even when they preferred not to answer. Having all the students raise a card gave them the experience of physically responding in front of their peers. The intermediate step of responding without their peers seeing the answer on the card may have facilitated the students to respond before their peers by just raising their hand.
I usually repeated my instructions when two or more 'no' or 'not sure' cards were held up. I found the use of the cards to be a non-threatening, effective way to encourage students to raise their hands. This was especially noticeable for the lower level students in the class. It also brought some levity to the class when I referred to the cards as "Hazukashii Cards" (shy cards).
Reference
Shapiro, N. (2000). Traveling the Road to an Active Vocabulary. Featured Speaker Workshop of the Japan Association for Language Teaching 26th Annual International Conference on Language Teaching, Shizuoka, Japan, November 2-5, 2000.
Appendix 1
| YES | NO |
| NOT SURE | PASS |
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