Hey Big Talker, spend a little time listening
House Editorial: approved by a majority of Scroll Editorial Board
- posted: 02 Oct. 2007
- scrollopinion@byui.edu
A hand shoots up in the air, the student eager to share.
What thoughts come to mind?
“I had a literature class where the same five people were constantly speaking. I would want to say something and then it ended up that I couldn’t comment because the teacher had to move on. I didn’t get as much from the class as I would have hoped — and I stopped trying to comment.”
This story is from a student that Rob Eaton, a professor in the religion department, spoke with; the student expressed concern about what Eaton calls “Big Talkers.”
“For some people, it’s question in, answer out,” Eaton said. “There is a lot of pent-up frustration [because of it].”
Eaton had no idea about this frustration until he attended Gospel Doctrine, and his friend, who was teaching, intentionally skipped his hand.
“It got me to start thinking about how much I comment in class,” Eaton said.
His friend explained that for some people, it takes time to formulate a thought, and by the time it’s formulated, the teacher has moved on. In some classes the “Big Talkers” dominate, and everyone else is just along for the ride.
“I have been a fan of meaningful student participation for a long time,” Eaton said. “One of the biggest obstacles is the fact that naturally a few people dominate.”
Kip Hartvigsen, a professor in the English Department, agrees.
“Occasionally every teacher deals with challenges like these,” Hartvigsen said. “And the teacher can orchestrate the discussion to involve those who may not be the ‘Big Talkers.’”
Hartvigsen said that some students just need encouragement to speak up, and that verbal praise after a comment is sometimes enough to get them to comment again.
Eaton said that those who don’t normally speak up tend to “check out” of class because they’re not required to comment, so they don’t. In his class, however, he very openly tells everyone on the first day that participation is the price of admission into his class.
“It’s a whole different mindset, and they learn so much more when they think that they could get called on,” Eaton said. “Some of the most insightful comments I’ve heard are from people who aren’t naturally ‘Big Talkers.’”
Some people are critics of student participation, saying that professors are calling on students just to have them talk, but Eaton disagrees.
“The point is not [to have] people babbling, but to have people discover new insights for themselves — thinking about the answers to great questions,” Eaton said.
Half of Eaton’s lesson preparation time is spent coming up with questions.
“For me, questions have to be the backbone to this learning model,” Eaton said. “It requires some creativity and backbone, which some teachers are averse to because they want things to flow in their natural course.”
Eaton invites everyone in the class to evaluate their level of participation.
“For one who doesn’t talk, take risks,” Eaton said. “For ‘Big Talkers,’ ask yourself, ‘If I talked less, would other people have a chance to participate?’” 
