My inquiry into participation was inspired from my observations of “the quiet kids” – the capable, bright, but shy and introverted students in a class. My initial approach was to explore research to explain why these students do not choose to participate and also to find strategies to promote more active participation in the classroom. I was expecting to become a stronger advocate for pushing students to participate. I am surprised to say that where I am at now is somewhat the opposite. My last few posts exploring participation and assessment referenced two of a three story feature regarding participation. By chance I happened to read John Spencer’s article last, and I am extremely glad I did. Spencer eloquently summarizes my round-about feelings regarding participation, while offering excellent strategies and classroom practices that can benefit all learners – the introverts and the extroverts.

Through my inquiry exploration, I have come to the conclusion that it is entirely, 100%, okay to be one of the “quiet kids” in class. The teacher’s job is not to change the personality and demeanour of his or her students, but to help them explore their environment and find challenges within it. The teacher’s job is to give students the proper tools and guidance to help them accomplish goals and challenge themselves.

Throughout my time in the BEd program so far, the concept of equity versus equality has become a theme of our study. Spencer acknowledges that this applies to participation as well. He “requires all students to participate at some point, [but he] give[s] students the permission to decide the frequency and timing of participation”. He then also provides his more introverted students with necessary strategies and assistance to minimize their anxiety caused by participation. The most important classroom practice that he suggests is to make sure to “allow students time to prepare, and even rehearse, what they want to say”.

I am really inspired by Spencer’s suggestions and participation philosophy. Ultimately, learning is the most important goal for students and while we want students to break out of their shells, it cannot be forced or demanded of them. Teachers have to offer the same support and assistance for participation as they do for other subject areas.

Grading participation is a controversial subject of interest for many educators. Jessica Lahey writes about her journey as an educator who placed value on student participation. In Lahey’s class, “every week, students were given between one and ten points for participation, and in the final tally, it counted for less than 5 percent of their grades”. Some parents did not agree with her decision to include a section for participation. Lahey continues to discuss how her advocacy for participation pushed her to realize the difference between being an introvert and being shy. Lahey ties shyness to anxiety and stress caused by engaging in situations that require more public participation.

After an overwhelming response to an article titled, “Introverted Kids Need to Learn to Speak Up at School”, Lahey was forced into a situation that required some extreme reflection. She has since “engaged in a real effort to… ‘rethink how we understand students’ silences’”. The responses from her article made her see how participation grades can sometimes be seen as a “metaphor for the bias against introverts”.

Lahey’s journey somewhat parallels the process of my inquiry. I was not expecting to go in the direction that I am. With respect to participation, I have now begun to explore the question that Lahey asked herself: “Can students participate without speaking out loud?”

Absolutely, if there is active learning happening. Assessing participation with regards to speaking out loud, could almost be considered a synonym for assessing personality types. Looking back on my observations in classrooms, it is now starting to be clear how there is simply just different personalities in a classroom and that they are going to participate with their learning in different ways.

Way back in the fall, when I decided to base my inquiry around participation, I was inspired by the quiet students in classrooms. Kate Torgovinick May asks the same question I did when I first chose this topic: “What should we do with the quiet kids?” Torgovinick May interviews Susan Cain, who advocates for introverts of all ages. Their discussion focuses on the school and classroom environment, which for the introverted child, can be a “very over-stimulating experience”. One strategy Cain suggests for helping introverted students feel more comfortable is to “build quiet time into the school day”.

Caine also discusses what she envisions schools in the future could look like, and how rethinking school structure could help introverted students. Cain “imagin[es] spaces that are more flexible so at any given moment, you can choose: Do I want to be in a solo space? Do I want to be in a small group space? Do I want to be in a more crowded, lively space?”. In my observations, I have been able to view spaces like the one Cain describes. These less traditional spaces help promote community among grade groups and create open and flexible learning spaces, as opposed to typical classrooms. In these types of environments students exercise the exact type of choice that Cain mentions. As a Teacher Candidate, I have found these environments quite intimidating. It is the polar opposite of my own schooling. I do appreciate however, that these types of environments can allow for more seamless technology integration in schools. IPads and computers are easily integrated across all grades in an efficient and educational way. Technology is used to promote student participation and engagement with learning; it is a normalized tool for learning.

Cain also discusses using technology – more specifically, apps that promote discussion – for promoting class wide participation. Plickers, which I have mentioned in previous postings, accomplish Cain’s ideas regarding participation and technology.

Over the last few steps of my research into participation, I have been realizing that I am going in somewhat the opposite direction that I was expecting to. Initially, I came into this looking for strategies to promote active participation from the quieter students in a classroom. I am now starting to see how as long as student learning can be shown, how the learning is presented is not as important as I previously thought. Cain’s belief in student choice creates opportunities. Offering different platforms, whether it is through a class blog or working in small groups, creates opportunities for students who are more introverted to find their own right way for them to participate with their learning.

As I continue to explore the literature on engaged and participatory learning in elementary schools, I am continuously finding new ways to elaborate and deepen my understanding of these concepts. Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer (2009) highlighted and explained the difference between emotional engagement and behavioral engagement. Until this point, I have been more focused on physical engagement with learning, such as having the confidence to raise one’s hand, asking for help in class, and body language. Engagement with learning can be shown in much subtler ways. How do students respond to the statements “I try hard to do well in school,” concerning behavioural engagement, or “I enjoy learning new things in class,” which relates to emotional engagement (Skinner, Kindermann, & Furrer, 2009, p. 519-520). These are two very different to examine engagement than what I have previously been exploring. Differentiating between these two types of engagement is important because, although they are distinct from one another, they are also quite dependent on one another.

At the other end of the engagement spectrum is what Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer (2009) describe as “disaffection” (p. 495). A student demonstrating behavioural disaffection would identify with the statement “In class, I do just enough to get by” and a student displaying emotional disaffection would relate to the statement “When I’m in class I feel bad” (Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer, 2009, p. 520). Their research presented two very interesting findings in regards to the types of engagement and disaffection. “Students reported that they were more behaviourally engaged than teachers judged them to be, and teachers underestimated student emotional disaffection relative to students’ actual feelings” (Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer, 2009, p. 517). I find the first conclusion regarding behavioural engagement quite interesting. I feel that this applies to those quiet participants in a classroom. It also goes against what I was expecting to uncover in throughout my inquiry process in regards to participatory learning. Until this point, I had been looking for ways to break students out of their shells so that I, as the teacher, can see that they are actively participating in their learning, but what if the student believes he or she is participating and is enjoying the work, but it is not blatantly obvious. Is it the teacher’s responsibility to create extroverted, outgoing, and active learners? Active, yes. Extroverted and outgoing? Maybe not. The students mentioned in the study believed themselves to be more engaged than the teachers were perceiving them to be. I do think educators should push students to be their best possible selves, but after reading this article, it is clear that that is different for each student. Ultimately, learning is the goal, and if a student chooses to do that quietly and more independently, maybe that is okay too. Students need to feel safe with their learning environment and also aware that the support will be there when they begin to reach new and unfamiliar territory. Being engaged and participating in learning looks different from student to student, and students should feel safe and comfortable with how they choose to learn.

Source: Skinner, E. A., Kindermann, T. A., & Furrer, C. J. (2009;2008;). A motivational perspective on engagement and disaffection: Conceptualization and assessment of children’s behavioral and emotional participation in academic activities in the classroom. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 69(3), 493-525.

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