cover story

Engaging the Quiet

Highly Capable Learners
in Your Classroom
Exploring instructional strategies that engage introverted students

BY PATRICIA CLENDENING BUZZERIO

AMLE Magazine · OCTOBER 2017 13

 Everyone has heard the idiom, “The squeaky wheel
gets the grease.” In our busy, sometimes hectic
classrooms, our squeaky wheels—our most extroverted
and outgoing learners—are most likely to attract the
most attention. Our society, like our classrooms, often
highlights the extroverted, outgoing, highly social
students. But what about those non-squeaky wheel
learners? The introverted or quiet gifted learners
can be overlooked. Forty-five percent of children are
introverts, but this number is much higher with gifted
learners. There are more introverted gifted learners
than extroverted gifted learners, which seems at odds
in a society that is drawn to bigger and louder. Actually,
more gifted students are introverted on average, and
as the IQ scores go up, the percentage of introverted
students goes up. According to Leslie Sword, author of
The Gifted Introvert, as much as 75% of highly gifted
children (IQ scores above 160) are introverted.
Our schools are riddled with
activities that promote and
encourage extroverts.
Gifted students with quiet or introverted
personalities have a great deal to contribute to our
learning communities. They are often deep thinkers
with deep interests, have exceptional powers of
engagement, and are often creative problem solvers.
However, our schools are riddled with activities that
promote and encourage extroverts. Many school-
endorsed activities favor students that demonstrate
leadership and outgoing or extroverted tendencies:
student council, drama, classroom representatives,
ambassadors, class plays, speeches, presentations,
and even classroom discussions. Finding ways to
encourage and engage quiet personalities can be well
worth the effort. Here are some strategies to help
pave the way for more authentic engagement from
your quiet learners and your outgoing learners alike.
Wait Time
Introverted gifted students have valuable knowledge
to impart, but sometimes hearing from these students
can be difficult. Most find it intimidating to voluntarily
respond to discussions and present information to the
entire class.
Let’s consider wait time. Teachers tend to wait
less than one second for students to reply to their
questions (Rowe, 1974, cited in Van Tassel-Baska,
14 ASSOCIATION FOR MIDDLE LEVEL EDUCATION amle.org
1998). Allowing breathing room after questions are
posed can help quiet learners form their answers and
build the courage to raise their hands. I am a big fan
of Ian Byrd (byrdseed.com), an educator for gifted
students. He uses several strategies in his classrooms
and identifies two types of wait time: Wait Time I
is the time you wait between the question and the
answer, Wait Time II is the time you wait after a
student speaks before moving on. If teachers get in
the habit of waiting, breathing, or counting between
the question posed and response time (Wait Time I),
introverted learners have time to digest the questions
and determine their responses. Waiting at least 3-5
seconds is a great place to start. If you are asking
open ended, higher level thinking questions, your wait
time should increase with the depth of the questions.
In addition, wait time can add more complexity and
richness to discussions.
Think Time
Think time is one of my favorite strategies. I tend
to use it with my students and family alike. Ask a
question, but ask for a minute of quiet (think time)
before answering the question. Think time was a
brainchild of Mary Budd Rowe. She found that quiet
students needed time to think; time to be engaged,
actively listening, and thinking. I also like to ask a
question twice and pause after the question is asked,
both times.
Think, Pair, Share
If students are hesitant to raise their hands, another
strategy is Think, Pair, Share. This equity pedagogical
practice developed by Dr. Frank Lyman helps vary
and increase participation without being overt. After
a teacher poses a thought-provoking question to
the class, each student “thinks” about the question
and writes down their response. Then they are
encouraged to share it with a peer (“pair”). Sometimes
a quiet, gifted student can find her confidence through
the encouragement of a single peer. Once the pair
has “shared”, you can move on or a larger group
discussion can flow from the paired contributions.
Pick Your Neighbor
Quiet gifted students thrive when around like-minded
peers with similar interests and personalities. Quiet
students are usually more comfortable working with
someone they know. Allowing students to sit next to
a like-minded friend can benefit quiet students. They
may feel more comfortable sharing with a friend or
someone that shares their temperament.

More Strategies to Engage Introverted
Learners
Quiet Time
During reading time in class, quiet students
can be engaged in solitude. Reading in class
lets them absorb information, concentrate, and
demonstrate their curiosity while letting them
recharge by being alone.
Music
Headphones with instrumental music (without
lyrics) help quiet students take a break from
the normal classroom. This strategy has been
successful for all of my students, extroverts and
introverts alike.
Online Discussion
Online chats and forums can supplement overt
class participation. These platforms allow quiet
students to participate without feeling like they
are in the spotlight.
Small Group to Whole Class
Starting with small group work that leads up
to whole class discussion helps students think
before they discuss.
Ice Breakers with less Pressure
Ice breakers for extroverts are exciting and fun,
but they can be painful and nerve-racking for
introverts. At the beginning of school when
icebreakers are popular ways for students to
get to know one another, try to come up with
activities or games that don’t put pressure on
your quiet students.
Prep the Discussion
As much as teachers love to talk (myself included),
students can be overloaded with verbal information.
My sons often complain that teachers talk during
the entire block (85 minutes). That would be difficult
for adults to handle, much less young adults and
teenagers. Students need time to digest information,
just like the rest of us. As teachers begin a discussion,
students should be encouraged to jot down some
thoughtful notes. Once the discussion turns to
comments and questions, quiet students armed with
these notes have more confidence to participate,
or alternately these notes could be shared with the
teacher (one to one) after class to demonstrate active
listening. Discussion notes also can be shared at
classroom conference time or after school.
Solicit Feedback
There are numerous ways to solicit feedback from
your quiet learners. Slower paced discussions tend to
foster more thoughtful answers. Introverts often find
it difficult to interrupt discussions with questions and
comments. Asking for feedback with a sticky note
placed on the teachers desk, through journaling, or in
small group “breakaways” where students are able
to demonstrate evidence of learning, makes the quiet
learner more comfortable.
Some introverted students have told me they find
that when they offer comments early in discussions
it helps alleviate their anxiety as the conversation
progresses. Non-talking modes of engagement such as
thumbs up or down, nodding, smiling, and shrugging
shoulders are ways introverted students can
demonstrate active listening and engagement without
overt participation.
Encouraging your quiet learners to demonstrate
their different and varied points of view will enrich
your entire learning community. These strategies
will let your quiet students know that you value their
contributions without forcing them to ignore their
unique personalities. Remember, when quiet students
hesitate before responding, it doesn’t mean they are
not engaged. Some students need time to think before
they speak (introverts) and some students need to
speak in order to think (extroverts).
PATRICIA CLENDENING BUZZERIO is an enrichment
specialist for The American School of The Hague. She
taught in various cities in the U.S. and she currently
resides in The Netherlands.
pbuzzerio@ash.nl
pclendeningbuzzerio.com
AMLE Magazine · OCTOBER 2017 15