Kirby Conrod
https://kconrod.medium.com/new-ways-of-encouraging-and-assessing-participation-81928518e518
Article: Pedagogical Suggestions
New Ways of Encouraging and Assessing Participation
Natalie’s
Recommendation
This post helps me remember that I can define participation as more than just “speaking in class.” I love the idea that students can self-report ways they’re engaging with the class that I don’t see. Setting up a structure for participation self-assessment helps students be intentional about how they want to contribute to the classroom community and tailor the course to their own goals. It also means that I’m more transparent about what good participation can look like, so I feel confident assessing participation, whether I’m the instructor of record or a teaching assistant.
I encourage you to reconceptualize participation as the interpersonal and informal parts of studying that make learning stick and feel good. If you’re teaching, hopefully your goal is to aid and allow people to learn stuff; learning does not stick if it feels bad. Furthermore, humans are social animals, and need interpersonal and informal interactions with each other in order to be alive and healthy. This is especially important during pandemic teaching, when students and instructors alike are feeling isolated, alienated, and fatigued.