As a teacher, you must be able to regulate the conversation of a dominator if you want to move on to the next idea of assignment.  Some dominators, if left unchecked, will use the entire period trying to get their point across.

Effective Actions to Take

Temporarily ignore the raised hands of the dominator and call on others to express their ideas about a topic.  You are not being harsh.  Instead, you are hoping that the dominator gets the idea that others must have an opportunity to speak as well.

If the student keeps blurting out the answer, give him or her look of disagreement before he completes his sentence.  Hopefully, the message will be sent.

Impose a one of two-minute time limit on all students.  Answers should be short and sweet, yet informative and serious.

Interrupt the student if he or she continues to drag one idea into another. What a time waster!  Instead of just sitting there hoping the student will soon finish,  start asking other students for their opinion on the topic.

Appoint a student to measure time so that a dominator or any other student will under pressure to give a brief message.  Hopefully, the student will feel the need to finish his statement in an appropriate timeframe.

Control the discussion by asking a question and having students to raise their hands quickly.  Pick the ones who haven’t had a chance to speak.  In this way, you can control the time in which each student speaks.  In addition, every student will have a chance to speak.

The Life of the Party

The dominators simply want to be the life of the party.  Being in the spotlight as long as possible makes them feel very special.  However, they need to understand the honor that comes from sharing the stage with others, namely, their fellow classmates.

Dominators can quickly turn other students against them.  You must prevent this from happening by setting rules for discussion time on day one.  The respect for sharing must be a hot button that you push throughout any classroom discussion.

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Respecting the learning of classmates should be a priority for every student. Therefore, student defector issues must be addressed, especially if constant side conversations are occurring while teaching is going on.

Dealing with Defectors

One strategy you can use to redirect the student’s attention back to the lesson at hand is to ask the student a question regarding the lesson. Usually if the student cannot answer the question accurately, he or she will become embarrassed enough to stop and focus on learning.

One option for stopping side conversations is to approach the student defector and stand behind him while you continue to give instructions. This approach works almost 90% of the time because the privacy of the student’s conversation is exposed.

Of course, the defector may not acknowledge your physical presence hovering over him or her.  If this occurs, the next thing to do is pull the student aside and warn him about his disruptive behavior. Further discipline must be taking if the situation doesn’t improve.

As effective teachers, our job is to get everyone involved in the lesson. Therefore, our plans must be interesting and our delivery must be filled with passion. The biggest mistake that many teachers make is to think that all students will be interested in a passionless lesson plan.

The reality is that excitement is contagious.  The more you display passion in delivering your lesson plans, the more you will be able to hold the attention of defectors.

Tips for Getting Students Involved

Tip 1: Ask lots of questions. Go around the room and give everyone an opportunity to speak.  Don’t allow students to pass on the answers. You need to know if they understand the knowledge they are being taught.

Tip 2: Pass out sticky notes and ask key questions. Have students write their answers down.  Walk around the room and see if everyone has participated.

Getting every student involved creates an environment in which effective and exciting learning can occur without the need extreme redirection.

(Series 2)

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