Getting students to respond

Asking questions but the students don't respond? 

By now you may have met certain classes who just don't seem to respond to you.  There are a number of reasons why this might be happening and suggestions for what to do.

1. The students don't understand you. You may need to grade your language more. Choose your words more carefully and avoid long and complex sentences. Pause more often than usual and repeat key points.
2. The students don't know what you want them to do. Check your instructions. Demonstrate tasks. Hold up the paper and point to the task you want students to do. Do the first item as an example.
3. You are half-hearted about getting them to do what you want. If you want the students to repeat after you, then give a rousing model and insist that everyone repeats loudly and in different fun ways. If you ask a question, do it loudly and clearly in anticipation of a response. 
4. The students are not familiar with volunteering answers.  Nominate students to answer (i.e. call on them by name). 
5. Students are used to only being asked questions for which there is a right or wrong answer. Ask more 'closed' questions. Once a student has given an answer, even if just 'yes' or 'no' then lead them further into the conversation by asking follow-up questions.
6. The students are not engaged. Coursebooks can be quite dry and boring. Can you adapt the lesson to better suit the interests of your class? Can you personalise the lesson more? (More about you and more about the students?)
7. The students are unmotivated or tired.  Mix up your activities to include rousers and settlers according to the energy level of the class. Point out to the students how what they are learning will help them in the future i.e sell your lesson - don't say 'today we are going to study page 6', or 'today we are going to review the present perfect'. Instead tell them that they'll practise speaking about their experiences or their hopes or ambitions etc. Try to make it real to them. 
8. The students don't respect you. If you have gone into a class seeming nervous then the students might not have confidence in you as a teacher. Plan your lessons carefully so you know exactly what you want them to do and go to class with an air of purpose and quiet confidence. Don't shout at the students to get them to do what you want. This will just lose face for you. But be firm and decisive in all that you do but with a big smile on your face!