In this article in Kappan, consultant Connie Hamilton says that many lessons are designed in ways that favor extroverted students. “A question is posed, and within seconds, a few voices fill the space,” she says. “These are typically students who are comfortable developing ideas in real time. More-introverted students are still organizing their thinking. By the time they are ready, the moment has passed.” They “listen, nod, or defer, not because they have nothing to contribute, but because they were never given the conditions to get there.”
Hamilton, who is herself an introvert, says students in this category are sometimes mischaracterized as antisocial or unwilling to engage. In fact, they just have a different way of processing their thinking:
- Introverts think before speaking; extroverts think while speaking.
- Introverts prepare ideas internally; extroverts generate ideas through interaction.
- Introverts enter discussion prepared; extroverts use discussion to develop their thinking.
Bearing this in mind, Hamilton suggests ways to level the collaborative playing field for introverts:
- Prepare students to enter the conversation. Give all students a chance to think of something to bring to the class or small-group conversation: one idea, one question, one example, one strategy, one perspective. “This does not need to be lengthy or formal,” says Hamilton. “The purpose is to give students a starting point so they are not trying to generate and share ideas at the same time.”
- Replace open talk with structured protocols. Here are three: Whip around: each student shares one idea without cross-talk; all ideas are on the table before discussion begins. Final word: one student shares their thinking and others respond or make connections, then the first student responds to what others said; the process continues until all students have shared their thinking. Word-phrase-sentence: each group member identifies a word, a phrase, or a sentence connected to the topic, and in groups, students share all their words first, then phrases, and finally sentences.
- Design collaboration for building, not just sharing. “Without a clear purpose,” says Hamilton, “students share once and step back while others carry the conversation, creating an inequity in contributions.” The teacher can counteract this by shaping the task so students are expected to continue working with ideas. She suggests four ways to do it:
- Conversation synthesis – Each student shares their thinking and the group creates a summary that reflects individual ideas and collective thinking.
- Give one/get one – Students begin with their own ideas, then move around the classroom collecting ideas from multiple partners.
- Shared note-taking – Each student brings their own notes, then the group builds a collective understanding and creates a summary.
- Every word counts – Each student brings a key word connected to a concept, then the group creates a response that includes every word.
- Shift between individual and group thinking. Begin the lesson giving students time to think individually, then join group discussion, then step away from the group to process, revise, or add to an idea, then return to the group to refine thinking and reflect on what was learned through collaboration.
