Speaking in turn

• Establish a space where everyone gets a say and has time to talk. This way, the teacher acknowledges every student’s opinion and academic level while inviting them to participate more in class. 

• Taking turns speaking not only allows outgoing students to voice their opinions but also ensures that quieter students have an opportunity to share their thoughts.  

The teacher prepares a list of open-ended reflective questions about the students’ experience of today’s class, such as:   

• Which concepts did they find relevant?  

• What was difficult about the literature? 

• The teacher introduces the activity and sets a limit for how long each student can speak, e.g. 1 minute. 

• The teacher asks the first student a question.  

• The student answers the question or shares their opinion within the time frame.  

• The teacher then asks the next student, and repeats the process until everyone has spoken. 

• Some students may be nervous or reluctant to speak. You can provide them with material on oral presentations from AU Studypedia. Here they can read about how to handle nervousness.

• Consider repeating the activity throughout the semester. This lets students become accustomed to the fact that there will be opportunities for them to express themselves regularly.  

• Carry out the activity online, e.g. on Zoom. Make sure to moderate the activity, establish an order of speaking and make sure everyone gets time to speak.