Step 3: Expanding Participation Through Cold-Calling

Intentionally calling on students from different groups helps create equitable discussions, but what happens when students don’t raise their hands? Todd Rakoff uses an age-old technique: “cold calling.” When using this technique, Rakoff keeps in mind the complex factors that influence which groups of students typically do and do not feel comfortable sharing their views in class. He explains, “Over the course of a semester, everybody deserves to be called on. And one thing that you can do with cold calling is to bring into the conversation people who otherwise don't volunteer.”

Profiled: Todd Rakoff, Byrne Professor of Administrative Law, teaches "Legislation & Regulation" to 80 students at Harvard Law School.

Takeaway Tips

Make expectations and your reasons for cold-calling clear. Let students know that your goal is to increase participation, not to lay traps or put students on the spot. 

Identify the less vocal students in the room and solicit their participation through this move but temper their contributions with participation from more regularly vocal students to foster more naturally balanced discussions.

Even when well framed, cold calling may not work well for all students and contexts. If you decide it is worth experimenting with, observe its impact on the quality of class discussion and solicit feedback about its effect on students.

Related Resources

The Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard Business School has compiled best practices for cold calling, including advice on when to cold call and whom to bring into the conversation.  

This ASCB article talks about the nuances of cold calling and a related but gentler practice of warm calling, and why and when you might use one or the other.

This IM move on providing wait time is a related technique for expanding participation.

Reflection Questions

In your classroom and discipline, what are the complex factors that shape which groups feel most comfortable participating? How might you respond to these factors in practice?

Cold calling can be intimidating for students. Now that you’ve seen the move here, do you think it might fit into your classroom? If so, how?

By cold calling, instructors have the ability to include all students in the conversation, whether or not they have volunteered. In the next video, we’ll learn about a related technique: “warm calling.”

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