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.