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We all want students to participate. We want them to raise their hands, share their ideas, react, ask questions, and bring that energy that makes a classroom feel alive.

But what happens when they don’t?

It is easy to assume that the activity is not working, that students are not motivated, or even that we are doing something wrong.

In this special 200th episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I sit down with Justin Slocum Bailey to explore another possibility:

Maybe the activity is not the problem. Maybe we need to get the stakes right.

As you prepare to go back to school, this conversation will help you think more intentionally about the questions you ask, the topics you choose, and the different ways students can participate without feeling pressured or put on the spot.

Justin shares how we can create participation that feels meaningful enough to be worth the effort—but safe enough for students to take the risk.

✨ Takeaways

• What it means when the stakes for participation are too high or too low
• Why an activity may fall flat even when it is a great activity
• How information gaps and opinion questions can make communication more meaningful
• Why some personal questions may feel too risky for students
• How to create distance from sensitive topics without removing authentic communication
• Simple ways students can participate without immediately speaking in front of the class
• Why grading every interaction may increase pressure instead of participation
• Why curiosity is more helpful than blaming the activity, the student, or yourself

This episode is an invitation to pause before searching for another activity and ask:

Are the stakes too high, too low, or just right for my students?

📌 Resources + Links Mentioned in This Episode

Learn more from Justin at Indwelling Language:
indwellinglanguage.com

Find more about Voces Digital here

Follow me on Instagram:
@claudiamelliott

Explore ready-to-use back-to-school resources for Spanish teachers in my store:
Growing With Proficiency on Teachers Pay Teachers

Learn more about Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy:
growingwithproficiency.com/academy