Instead, build common ground by saying something like "You look a little reserved" and giving students a chance to vent some emotion. If the discussion still lags, you might shift the order of your lesson plan slightly and provide more Telephone Number List instructor-directed activities. Later in the class meeting you might elicit discussion most effectively by initially employing the small-group strategy, which you used early in the term, and a debriefing that is more Telephone Number List humorous and engaging than normal. Also, providing increased positive feedback to individual students, as well as comments to the whole class, such as "I'm really Telephone Number List pleased about the way this class has..." will likely pay big dividends. Of course, only make such comments if they are true!
Discussions that are dominated by only a few students cause noncontributing students to become disengaged, take the focus off your learning objectives, and risk establishing a pattern in the class. In the interest of building a positive Telephone Number List classroom atmosphere, many new instructors are reluctant to silence those who over-participate but then spend the remainder of the term feeling a loss of control. To avoid this, speak in private with those who tend to dominate, first thanking them for their involvement in class discussion but then Telephone Number List going on to ask their help in encouraging the less involved by allowing you to seek their participation. I've even used poker chips (I do live in Nevada, by the way) where Telephone Number List students had a certain number of chips to use when they spoke up in class.
The over-contributors used theirs up quickly and then I could wait patiently while the more recalcitrant students spoke up...since the Telephone Number List were the only ones who had chips remaining. Occasionally, permitting a degree of wandering can make the discussion more lively and engaging. At the same time, you must be willing to step in early to refocus on your goals. Do so by first acknowledging the collective experiences of the speakers and Telephone Number List then asking a transitional question that returns the discussion to its proper focus. If such measures prove ineffective, be proactive and remember the Pareto rule, which warns Telephone Number List you that 80 percent of your challenges will come from 20 percent of your students.