Allow students to ask questions or share ideas in class anonymously, or without "speaking out" — circulate note cards for students to write questions or comments, or to answer your questions, perhaps anonymously, and collect and address them. Online tools such as Question Cookie and Tricider can help students ask questions or share comments. You can also encourage students to ask questions in the learning management system, which you can then respond to either in class or online.
Give students low-stakes opportunities to think and discuss content – this is a "tolerance for error" approach. Students sometimes need to get it wrong, take risks, or try out different ideas to learn.
Facilitate smaller discussions among students before you ask students to share with the entire class. Many students need some time and space to try ideas out with one another first. This also gets many more students talking.
Facilitate smaller activities before discussion and questions start, so that students have time and space to compose their thoughts. For example, to help them prepare for discussion, give them the opportunity to write or solve problems quietly for a few minutes. You might even consider asking students to pass these ideas around the room to share with one another, as long as you have warned them in advance that you will do so.
Use online resources and content management systems to extend class discussions. Students won't all get the chance to contribute in a large lecture, so offer the opportunity somewhere else. Students should be given many different opportunities and spaces in which to participate (and to be graded for participation).
Have students take turns writing down questions and answers on whiteboards or on large flipchart paper, and then post the notes around the classroom for future reference—keep them up all term – build running answers to pertinent and revisited questions.
