Looking into student participation has been a very evolutionary process. While I have found many strategies and tools to experiment with to help increase student participation, I also found myself imprinted with a new outlook. Increasing participation is not about changing the type of person our students are, but about setting up strategies and proper scaffolding to help students venture out of their comfort zone in a safe, supportive way.

I also really appreciate the idea of equitable participation, as opposed to equal participation among students. Just like how some students will need more help with math or reading, some students will need more prompts and assistance in order for them to participate in class. Employing some of the strategies mentioned in previous postings could greatly benefit students. In future practice, I am planning to allow students to have the questions beforehand, integrate technology to allow for anonymous question answering, and use talking circles to help build classroom community. When holding talking circles, I think the most important idea for students to understand is that it is okay to pass your turn.

I also think it is extremely important for teachers to be observant and aware of their introverted students. As I mentioned in a previous posting, students believe themselves to be more engaged and participatory with a lesson than teachers perceived them to be. With introverted students, I believe teachers need to keep an extra watchful eye out for two things. First, we need to watch for opportunities for individual students to participate. Did a quieter student produce an excellent short story? Suggest they read the story to the class, or even in a small group. Create positive opportunities where some of the pressure and anxiety can be reduced from having student participation come from a preprepared source.  The second thing teachers need to watch for are opportunities for recognition. If a quiet student does go beyond their comfort zone and participate, it needs to be acknowledged and commended, which will help encourage future behaviour.

Some other interesting ideas were brought up during a recent discussion with some peers. One colleague mentioned how her students have the option to videotape themselves giving a presentation, rather than getting up in front of the whole class. The students also have the option to share their recorded presentations with the class, or to have them viewed only by the teacher. This suggestion provides opportunities for scaffolding participation. If this is regular practice for assessment, encouraging students to share their next video with the whole class and then, eventually, having them move on to non-recorded presentations. It is important to recognize that every student will move through these stages differently, but it is important to create the opportunity all the same.

Participation and assessment are sensitive subjects for a lot of educators and parents. I have not yet experienced enough in my own journey as an educator to have formed an opinion or belief on the subject. In high school we had academic honour roll and then effort role – two entirely separate entities. I think that is one fair way of assessing participation, but I am not entirely sure how to translate this to an elementary setting. I am not sure yet if attaching a score to participation is a fair assessment. I think it can be used in a formative way to help plan for future goals, but summative assessment of participation does not seem like a fair way to assess the students who choose to learn quietly and independently.

I am looking forward to having more opportunities to practically apply strategies and explore student participation. I am already starting to see that it is an ever-changing dynamic that puts emphasis on teacher flexibility and equitable scaffolding to help support the needs of one’s students.