Although this is designed for a religious education environment, the principles are the same in a secular setting as well. Find out the five types of people shutting down conversation in your class and discover the tips you need to fix it.

4. But why not just let
sleeping dogs lie?

5. It can
disinvite
the Spirit.

6. At first, class
members will
be irritated
with the
problem
person.

7. And then,
they will
point the
finger
at you.

8. Class members can
begin to tune out.

9. It’s hard to
teach when
you feel like
you’re in the
crosshairs.

11. What are
common
problems
teachers
can
expect to
see?

13. real
fake

14. You know, the
ones waaaaaay
out here
Image courtesy of kevinalanlamb.com

17. Fixing it
takes more
than a wish
on a
dandelion.

18. Preparation is the
bread and butter of
handling all of these issues.

19. An engaging,
well-designed,
balanced
learning
experience is
the best
defense.

21. Don’t make people wonder how
the class is going to go.

23. If you want people
to raise their hands,
tell them.

24. Even the length of
responses is in your hands.

25. “Let’s see
how many
responses we
can get in a
minute.”

26. “Let’s keep
responses to
less than
30 seconds
or so.”

28. Let’s take a closer look at our 5
specific problems.

30. Image Credit: Missy Saunders

31. Teacher
Individual
class
member
Content
Class as
a whole

33. get to the heart of
why they are
dominating the
conversation

34. What is
their
need?

35. Do they crave
attention?

36. Are they
trying to fill
awkward
space?

37. Are they trying to
make up for our
inadequacies?
{ouch}

47. Get outside

48. real
fake

49. (not everything is worth addressing, and
some things aren’t worth addressing in
front of everyone)

50. Ask them to clarify
what they mean.
{sometimes it’s not as
crazy as it sounds}

51. “Hmmm, can you
find the source for
that for next week?”

53. “What else have you read about this?”

54. Don’t get bogged down in it
{because it’s not helping}

55. You know, the
ones waaaaaay
out here
Image courtesy of kevinalanlamb.com

58. “That will be a
crucial idea in a
coming lesson.
Please remind
me of that
when it comes
up again.”

63. When I wink
at you, it’s
time to stop.
No, really.

64. Make sure
everyone
knows the
goal is this:

66. Not a series
of mini-
lectures…

69. It locks out the Spirit.

70. When you feel
the Spirit shift, it is
your duty to bring
it back to class.
No matter what.

71. Dear Spirit,
Please come back…

72. “No point or opinion is
as vital as keeping the
Spirit in the class. Let’s
move on to a different
topic in order to
preserve the Spirit.”

73. To recapture the
Spirit, use music.

74. Tell a
story.

75. Or even say a prayer.
SatchelPaige-FlickrCreativeCommons

77. get to the heart of
why they are not
participating in
the conversation

78. Are we allowing overparticipators
to shut people down?

79. Do we call on
the same
people over
and over?

80. Is speaking in
class out of
their comfort
zone?

81. Do they feel they have
nothing to contribute?

82. Are they unprepared?

83. Are they electronically
distracted?

84. Are we lecturing & only the
boldest feel they can chime in?

85. You have to find
the why before
you can find the
right intervention
(if one is needed).

87. Evaluate which issues
you’re having

88. Decide on a few
strategies to try.

89. Pray about your
decision.

90. Make a plan.

91. Set your
expectations.

92. Repeat.

93. The Master Teacher
is fully invested in your
having a successful class,
and He will help you.