Originally published in TEACH Magazine, November/December 2017 Issue
By Scott Carver
Communication exercises and assignments have traditionally put introverts at a disadvantage by design. The regular contributor to discussions in history, the first student to explain or write out the solution in math, and the student that offers to explain their experiment to the rest of the class in science will always be showered with positive reinforcement and generally rewarded with high achievement.
But what about the students that know the answer but prefer one-on-one conversations? Or the ones that are comfortable speaking to the class but prefer time to process their thoughts before answering a question? Or the ones that do their best critical thinking when it’s not spontaneous?
Scott Carver has been teaching English with the Toronto District School Board for 18 years where he has been a member of many literacy committees. He is also the author of the novels Blind Luck and Barrett Fuller’s Secret (Dundurn Press).
