Perhaps it's conditioning. After all, the Tufts interpretation of a "Liberal" education virtually guarantees that at least 50% of your courses will be large lecture classes. But how far does this go towards explaining why so many Tufts students can't seem to talk in class?
There is no reason to condemn those students who love to sponge their education in the opulent lecture halls around campus -- it's at least as educational as reading Time Magazine in the lobby of a Marriott. But it seems that repeated exposure to this kind of class leads to "student auto-pikot syndrome". The result is a breed of student that remains silent when his education (rarely) breaks into units less than 50.
In John Irving's "The World According to Garp," there is a fictional group of women who cut out their tongues to sympathize with a similarly victimized child who has been raped. At least the silenee of the Jamesons, as they are called, made a statement -- the Tufts students' silence is inherently apathetic.
Speaking up takes courage and active involvement with the material. It takes comittment. Here are some ideas about class participation that might aid the soon-to-be-formerly timid:
1) Find a small class. Talking in an extremely large class is a lot like early piano recitals. The ExCollege offers many worthwhile small classes.
2) Write down your comment or question. Many students stammer and falter once they get up the courage to talk. If you really want to say "um...well...I was wondering...", write it down.
3) Have something intelligent to say. It is better to wait for a good point to bring up before taking the plunge. But don't worry too much about it, classes only last 45 minutes in most cases.
4) Wear loose fitting clothing. If it works for the SAT's, it can work for you.
5) Don't be afriad. Look at it this way: you're paying about $9,000 a year. If you ask $1,000 questions per year, that's about $9.00 per question.
