Quiet by Susan Cain

Tonight my teacher book club met to discuss Susan Cain's book Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking. I loved contemplating these concepts. You can't see that my post it notes have post it notes.

While there are thought provoking questions on the website they didn't quite fit our classroom focused conversation. (Official Power of Introvert Questions) Here are the questions, I adapted and tweaked from the official Reading Group Questions to fit our classroom perspective.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? What impact might this have in your classroom and teaching style?
 

Have you considered giving a “personality” test to your students in the past? Will you consider it for the future? How might this information impact the classroom?

What role might Guidance Counselors play in developing understanding of personality preferences?
 

What are the ways that we can empower/assist introverts in the classroom develop leadership skills?

What introvert role models might we highlight in our classrooms?
 

How might you change a lesson/unit to accommodate the Quiet?

How do you work with Quiet parents? What role might social or electronic media play in fulfilling those needs?
 

What are the favorite restorative niches in your classroom?

What considerations/changes if any might you include at the beginning of the school year to address the needs of the introverts in your class?

How are the needs of extroverts and introverts alike and different? How do you meet those needs?

What role might the focus on 21^st Century skills play in meeting the needs of introverts and extroverts in the class?

How might a Flipped or Blended classroom meet the needs of introverts and extroverts if at all?

Does being an introvert or an extrovert define a student?

Our discussion was interesting, thought provoking, and all over the map in typical teacher style.

I was excited to see that perhaps we can find innovative methods of utilizing technology to engage introverts. If only we had been able to make movies, art displays, or anything other than show and tell in front of the whole class back in the day. Oh, what torture show and tell is for the shy introvert! And may I just say to my former teachers, show and tell did not make me a more comfortable, confident, better public speaker. I also didn't benefit from hearing my classmates in part because this created a constant state of fear.

If you haven't had a chance to read Susan Cain's book, it is a worthy addition to the bookshelf.