Looking back to my time in elementary school, I was fairly involved and actively participated in my learning. I was strongly motivated by a desire to do well. I also really loved to read, which I think was the starting point for my educational journey. My motivation in younger grades definitely inspired my inquiry on how to increase participation. As I continue in my education, it is interesting to look at motivation and participation from a teacher perspective. Stephen, Cope, Oberski, and Shand examined engagement from both the teachers and the students’ perspective. One interesting finding from their work was how teachers “responses suggest more concern with evaluating the ways in which the children are carrying out the tasks or the intensity of their work than their connection with the substantive content” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, & Shand, 2008, p. 21-22). The teachers questioned in the study were “rely[ing] on body language to make relatively high level inferences about the nature of children’s participation in pedagogical activities” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, & Shand, 2008, p. 21). Looking back on my time in classrooms, that is how I have gaged a class’s involvement with an activity or lesson. Body language is a very accessible way to gage a classes participation with an activity.

Another interesting point from the research is how “teachers judged children to be engaged in learning when they were looking at, talking to or listening to the adult, [or] working on a task given to them by the adult” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, & Shand, 2008, p. 21). This is a very teacher-focused way of looking at student engagement. I wonder how this lens can be turned around to become more student or learning centred? Instead of focusing on whether or not the student is paying attention to “ME” – the “ME” being the teacher – maybe we should be asking, “Are the students focusing on what they need to be learning?” I feel that is a more inclusive approach to have when evaluating a class’s engagement and participation. Although teacher directed learning is an important part of teaching, perhaps measuring engagement another way could be more inclusive to learning.

Stephen, Cope, Oberski, and Shand’s research also highlights the importance of fun and enjoyment in a classroom. When reflecting on their own engagement, students gave “teachers a much less central place than the responses from the adults” (Stephen, Cope, Oberski, and Shand, 2008, p. 23). They found that children were much more interested in activities that they perceived as play. In my observations I have seen math become a more engaged lesson through math games – the students are learning the concepts through a fun and different way. I am really starting to see the importance of play in a classroom, especially in primary grades. If you’re enjoying yourself, you become more involved – that goes for anyone, anywhere. As I move forward in my own educational journey, I am looking forward to learning how to create opportunities that allow students to explore choices and have some realm of freedom with their learning.

Source: Stephen C, Cope P, Oberski I & Shand P (2008) ‘They should try to find out what the children like’: Exploring Engagement in Learning, Scottish Educational Review, 40 (2), pp. 17-28.

As our extended practicum gets closer and closer, I am starting to look at strategies for participation. In Morcom and MacCallum’s 2012 article, they examine how to increase participation through scaffolding. There are many reasons for a student’s lack of participation. The strategies suggested by Morcom and MacCallum provide support for students whether their participation is halted due to social, emotional, or developmental reasons.

One issue that Morcom and MacCallum’s work emphasizes is classroom safety. The teacher they observed “provided the scaffolds for boundaries for behavior that established the classroom climate and created psychological safety for participation” (Morcom & MacCallum, 2012, p. 1328). “Psychological safety” was created through routine communication in the form of a “daily social circle” that was centered around a class talking-stick (Morcom & MacCallum, 2012, p. 1329). I think talking circles are an excellent tool that teachers can use to create respectful, participatory spaces where students feel safe. One way to scaffold participation in talking circles is to allow students to pass when it is his or her turn. During my time so far in the BEd program at UBC, I have participated in my fair share of talking circles and I still continuously became nervous as the talking stick gets closer and closer to my turn. Being able to pass the talking stick takes some of the pressure off and makes participating active and selective as opposed to forced. Reinforcing that there is nothing wrong with passing is also important. Making these talking circles routine in a class also allows for more opportunities to try again. Morcom and MacCallum comment on how the “predictability of the [talking circles] allowed students to feel at ease participating to the level they desired” (2011, p. 1329).

Morcom and MacCallum also discussed group work and participation. Looing back at my time spent in classrooms, I have not yet facilitated much group work. I imagine, for some students, participating in a small group would be easier than participating in front of the class as a whole. Some fantastic and inclusive group activities were suggested such as “creating an animal or imaginary creature to reflect group interests, decorating a group shoe box, [and] choosing a group name and creating a logo” (Morcom & MacCallum, 2011, p. 1329). All of these activities have great potential for inspiring pride within the students. I am looking forward to experimenting with group dynamics in the future and hope to see its effects on participation.

As I have engaged more and more with literature on classroom participation, an underlying theme is starting to become clear: safety. In order to make the effort to actively participate, whether its by answering a question in front of the class, going above and beyond on a project, or just staying focused when other are not, students have to feel that they are safe. I consider a classroom a safe place when students are not worried about judgement, ridicule, and are free from anxiety. When these values are in place, participation can grow and develop and improve classroom community. I will end with one final quote from Morcom and MacCallum that I feel eloquently summarizes the process of scaffolding classroom community and participation…

“The process of raising awareness and a group consciousness to teach students how to care and support each other took time and a personal investment and commitment for all, including the teacher, who positioned herself as a learner.” (Morocco & MacCallum, 2011, p. 1332).

Source: Morcom, V. E., & MacCallum, J. A. (2012;2011;). Getting personal about values: Scaffolding student participation towards an inclusive classroom community. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16(12), 1323-1334.

In my first week of the Teacher Education program at UBC I was introduced to Kahoot, an online competitive quiz forum. Our class was extremely excited and engaged while we participated in this competitive exercise and from then on, we jumped at the chance to play it whenever a peer decided to use it in a presentation. I recently discovered a similar online quizzing tool that takes Kahoot a few steps further: Quizizz! Through Quizizz, teachers can have students set their own pace and work on the quizzes at home. While at home, students could treat it like an open-book quiz or closed book, whichever way they feel comfortable with. Quizizz also has a ton of pre-existing quizzes to choose from and there is still the same option for timed, in-class quizzes like Kahoot. From my experiences so far, as both the student and the creator, these online quiz tools are great resources for teachers to promote participation and engagement in a classroom. Another useful aspect of Quizizz is how the data and results are downloadable, which is useful for a quick record of student comprehension.

The only thing I think Quizizz is missing is the ability to create a class. As students create their own nickname each time, the teacher has to match up the students with their previous work as opposed to a more seamless record.

My experience with these types of online quizzes is overall very positive. The friendly competition increases participation with students – even adults! – because the quick assessment of learning becomes a game. I do wonder about using these with primary students, but with enough scaffolding I think it could be done. I think creating a practice quiz with fun, easy questions would help students learn how to play. Quizizz is an extremely useful tool that when used optimally, has the potential to increase both student participation and learning.

Check out the links below and see what you think!

Quizizz

FAQ about Quizizz

Here’s a link to the Quizizz Blog

When I first began researching my inquiry question regarding participation in a classroom, I thought of participation in terms of group discussion, answering questions put forth by the teacher, and willingness to learn. It was not until I read Calarco’s article that I realized that an actively participating learner knows how and when to seek help. Calarco defines help-seeking in schools as “children’s requests for assistance, clarification, information, and checking-of-work from teachers” (Calarco, 2011, p. 865). Seeking help is a huge component of education and is a very proactive action. In her study, Calarco examines the differences that social class has on students’ ability to seek assistance with their learning. When students chose to get help, they are involved in the process and are engaged with their education. The study revealed that “middle-class students used direct and proactive strategies” and that “working-class students tended to be more patient and less proactive” (Calarco, 2011, p. 873-874).

I find this quite a controversial topic, especially how in the conclusion Calarco (2011) alludes to these findings as being predictors for cultural capital later in life. When I finished reading her study, I started to think about how a teacher could help combat this issue. Calarco (2011) acknowledged that the teachers whose classes she observed did not have any help-seeking strategies or routines set in place for her students – it was entirely up to the students to take it upon themselves to seek assistance. I think that it would be very beneficial to set in place comfortable routines that make it a less involved process to seek help. One idea I found was a “help marker” – a star shaped figure that stands on a student’s desk to indicate that he or she needs help. I also think Plickers would be a great tool to check for understanding. Calarco also (2011) discusses how it is not until students are engaging with the activity or assignment, do they realize that they need help. Using Plickers after students begin working would be a stress-free and anonymous way for students to admit that they need extra guidance. If technology is not available, a mid-activity traffic lighting question could work as well – “Heads down, cards up!”.

Students in a classroom come from various backgrounds, and it is a part of the teacher’s job to create equal opportunities for student learning. Anonymous or less-involved ways to check for understanding is one way teachers can help those students who are less inclined to make the trek from their desk to the teacher’s or raise their hands to get help. Being proactive to find those who are struggling could help this, which then helps facilitate a safe, comfortable classroom. Hopefully, these strategies can then translate to students feeling comfortable enough to then take the initiative to seek assistance on their own as well.

Source: Calarco, Jessica McCrory. “”I Need Help!” Social Class and Children’s Help-Seeking in Elementary School.” American Sociological Review 76.6 (2011): 862-82. Web.

Plickers