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Hi, 

My name is Olivia B and I am currently part-time student teaching for this semester but will be full time student teaching in the spring. I have noticed that some of my students, the ones that understand the material better and/or faster, are typically the ones that tend to reply. To attempt to combat this I have followed the popscile stick method of pulling names and this helps a bit. I do offer the students that do not know the answers to either work through it with me or to 'phone a friend' for help so that they can figure it out if they have no idea what the answer is. If a student answers wrong I try to redirect, correct, and get another students opininon usually by volunteer for that part. The same students tend to answer and not that they shouldn't answer or I don't want them to participate, but I wonder if they are answering so fast that maybe the other students just need a little more time to think. Any suggestions on how to not deter these types of students from answering but allowing other students to get involved too?

This is something that is very common and all teachers will likely have to grapple with. 

One of the best methods that I have used to get all the class to participate is to not ask for individuals to answer! I turned to individual whiteboards (I laugh, because I remember scoffing at pictures of one room school houses with kids holding up slates...).  There are vendors who sell durable products, some with options like printed grids for sketching graphs, or you can head to the dollar store or even make our own from white masonite panels you can get from lumber stores.  (Go to the woodworking shop in school if you can't cut these yourself). 

These are awesome and I had a bag of them on the side counter of my room with markers and erasers. I refered to them as my 'acoustic tablets', with 'wireless stylus' and 'history cleaner'!  Ask a question and have all the students write the answers down.  They the board up and you quickly point, nod, say 'yes', 'no' 'close' or give them hints.  Don't move on until all the students get the right answer. Students (and you) get immediate feedback. 

At parent-student-teacher interviews I had one very bright student state, 'I love these boards because I'm not the only one answering!'  Many of my colleagues adopted these in my school and we ordered several class sets for our science department.  

You can provide students with multiple choices and they hold up the letter of a more complex or elaborate answers.  

Get feedback on something new you just taught by having students draw a happy face, neutral face or sad face to indicate their understanding.

At the end of the period make sure the students 'clear their histories' (erase) and return the 'acoustic tablets' to the 'recharging cart' (bag) along with the assessories. 

Hope this helps!

- Gabe