As my time in classrooms is coming to a – hopefully relatively short! – pause, I have found myself looking at participation with a much wider lens. Student participation is not just limited to verbal participation. There are countless ways that students can be active participants with their learning. In previous posts I have discussed how the topic of discussion can strongly influence the amount of student participation, but I have recently seen how important the environment is as well. I have noticed that the gym is also an important place to evaluate participation. Students that are not comfortable with class discussion can find autonomy in a more physical space. It is up to the teacher to recognize and celebrate these moments of participation. Until recently I had not thought much about kinesthetic participation. I had been placing a strong weight on what I hear students saying aloud. This was a mistake. Active involvement in learning takes more than one form and it is a huge part of a teacher’s job to keep their eyes open for it.

I have also recently seen how successful and meaningful learning can be when students participate with a hands on approach. Students may not verbally participate in a discussion, but will work with materials and be engaged with problem solving when it is right in front of them. During a mini science unit on magnets, there was some participation during discussions. However, as soon as we started small group work exploring whether or not materials were magnetic or not, all students were engaged and participating.

These past weeks have shown me how important it is to widen the lens from which participation is evaluated. It does not mean that verbal participation in a classroom is less important, but to also allow room for other forms of participation. Teachers not only need to be aware of when their students are using their “voice”, but of where and how they are as well. Student participation can be abundant if teachers create opportunities that are plentiful and diverse in nature.

As I explore strategies to promote participation in the classroom, my observations have led me to some new and unexpected outcomes. I have recently realized how important the topic or subject matter of discussion is when evaluating class participation. Some topics, such as “What was your favourite part of our field trip?” are much more approachable and, in a way, less personal. All students come into the discussion on equal footing, having just experienced the same event. My research, prior to this point, did not explore the relationship that classroom participation has to the topic of discussion. When topics are more personal, such as “Who is a wise person in your life?”, talking circles are a great classroom discussion platform to use. All students are given equal opportunity to share, but the choice to ‘pass’ – or not participate – is entirely theirs and also entirely respected. Lately however, I have noticed that more personal topics, such as the one above, result in much less participation.

While I have noticed the benefits of talking circles, a potential barrier that is starting to form. Talking circles have two rules…

1. Only the person holding the rock can talk.
2. When the rock comes to you, it is entirely acceptable to pass if you do not wish to participate.

I am starting to see that the second rule could easily become a crutch for students. Students can run the risk of falling into an “it’s okay that I don’t so I never will” pattern. So what is a teacher to do then? It is extremely important to maintain the integrity of the talking circle by not breaking the rules. When this barrier begins to build, alternate strategies need to be in place. One potential way to help students participate is to let them know ahead of time. Simply forewarning the student earlier in the day creates opportunity to prepare and plan. However, letting student know beforehand could also potentially increase anxiety as well. The student could be spending the rest of the day anxious and dreading the moment when it becomes their turn to hold the rock.

My experience with talking circles in the classroom has already led me to a place I did not expect. As much as I feel they promote participation and break down some barriers, for some students they create new ones. When these barriers start to form, it is up to the teacher to find ways to adapt and modify the teaching tool to help all students overcome these unforeseen obstacles. I plan to continue holding talking circles in my classroom, but now have to find further ways to equitably support all student participation.