There is a small discussion going on in my e-mail this morning about the article
The Power of Interim Participation Grades. It was e-mailed to everyone in the department by the department head. The responses to the original e-mail consist of professors talking about their experiences in awarding participation points, some consisting of 20% of a class grade.
The responses seem to draw a distinction between students that speak up in class as being intelligent, engaged, and prepared with the students that don't speak up in class as not participating, lazy, dozers, who probably didn't do the assigned reading.
Some exerts for the discussion: "My entire career I have waited for answers and the same 10-15% of the really engaged students answer questions while 85% sit there looking like guppies (apologies to my fish colleagues). "
"I try to draw on their inner sense of well being by talking about how much better they will feel if they know they have made that mark during each class period."
"For me this serves multiple purposes-- it forces everyone to be ready to participate (i.e., read the material)"
"However, I must admit at being somewhat shocked at class participation being an issue in grad classes....? I would assume the grad students would represent the 10% of the undergrads that regularly talk in class. Interesting"
"Kids these days!"
I have a huge problem with these distinction because it perpetuates the stereotype that quiet people are unintelligent, and have nothing to contribute. As an extremely introverted person I have never liked to speak up in classes, big or small, it didn't really matter, and this concept of participation points has hunted me through community college, undergraduate, and graduate school.
I prefer to sit in the back of classes, take meticulous notes, and avoid eye contact with teachers who showed a propensity for calling on students randomly. To these professors, I was not participating or contributing to the class. But I would like to point out what I was doing. In large classes I was often forming study groups, as a former tutor I was good at explaining concepts in ways that helped students with questions understand the material better. I was often approached by people in class who had questions, needed copies of notes, or clarification on directions or concepts given by the professor. I was going to every classes, I was earning A's on assignments , midterms and finals, and doing assigned reading (yes even from the book) and I was earning I extremely low participation grades.
I actually find forced class participation to be a hindrance to my learning. When I take discussion based classes (which I feel have the right to grade on participation) I made it my goal to give one meaningful comment each class period. Each day I would come into class, be supper nervous while I waited for my chance to contribute and then once I finally said something I could relax and begin taking in information.
Verboseness does not equate intelligence; ask anyone who has had to sit in class with "that one guy/girl" who asks a billion questions that everyone in the class except him knows the answer to.
I stopped receiving 0's for participation grades after I had one poetry teach who was laying out grading rules on the first day, and after covering his rules for participation (everyone speaks up in class, every class) said: "If anyone has a problem with they come see me and we can work something out." The concept that there might be an alternative was so shocking to me! I went and spoke with him, and we came to an alternative arrangement. Instead of impromptu contributions to class, which I never felt prepared for, I would occasionally read my poetry at a predetermined time and receive feed back on it. Additionally, I would attempt to give feed back to other students in class before, or after class, or doing breaks. It worked perfectly!
Since then, I have always went and talked to professors who require participation points, to determine what kind of activities will count as participation, and find alternatives for spontaneously speaking up in large classes (which is just impossible for me). This has only failed me once. I had a professor in an large anthropology class (30 + students) that insisted the only way I could receive that 20% of the grade was to offer comments in every class. I dropped his class, and felt much better about my self.
I just wanted to get that off my chest! The e-mail exchange was making me feel very self conscious.
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