What are some of your preferred methods of engaging students (especially the quiet type) while instructing a course?

1SG (Join to see) Whether I was conducting a meeting or teaching a class, I would ask a question or make a statement, and then call on someone to answer the question or provide an opinion. Never knowing if your name would be called, kept folks alert and somewhat keeping up with the discussion.

As a former instructor in four police academies and a DARE Officer in fifty-some different public and parochial elementary schools spanning ten years, one of the most instructive teaching aids that I adopted was/is called MBWA...Management By Walking Around. The principle behind this technique is that by moving around the classroom, either while lecturing or eliciting discussion, the instructor “keeps class members in the game.” Medical psychologistics and doctors of education have indicated that it’s one of the best ways to keep the minds of students active as the class progresses.

Watch Sam Kinison in the Back to School movie for some pointers.