Expanding How We Think About Classroom Participation

Teachers hope for participation from all of their students but often struggle to get raised hands from more than a regular few. In truth, though, participation doesn’t look the same for everyone. When teachers and students collaboratively define what participation means—as well as how to measure it—then student confidence increases, teachers get better feedback, and the classroom benefits from a greater sense of community.

In an attempt to increase engagement, I asked students to give themselves a letter grade for class participation. I received responses ranging from F to A, but there was one overwhelming trend I couldn’t ignore: The students who viewed themselves as quiet, introverted, or otherwise hesitant to talk in big group settings awarded themselves lower grades. Even if those students were on grade level academically and completed every assignment fully, they still rated themselves low on participation. 

I set out to develop a new set of participation guidelines, created with direct input from students. By redefining participation, teachers can convey to students that there are a variety of valuable contributions in the classroom. It all starts with shifting the belief that “traditional” participation equals success.

Assessing and Improving Large Group Dynamics

Before establishing participation guidelines, it’s helpful to think through why some students really struggle to speak in big groups (and why some students have the opposite issue). Here are a few reasons that prevent quieter students from speaking out.

Social anxiety: This is a huge one, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. On the one hand, students’ soft social skills are underdeveloped. On the other hand, students sometimes reckon with the peer pressure of not coming across as too clever, like a “try-hard,” which can inhibit some from speaking.

Introversion: Some personalities just don’t enjoy speaking. They get their energy and best learning from solitude or absorbing ideas.

Information overload: When you teach an important lesson with new concepts to grasp, students sometimes have a difficult time understanding everything. Neurodiverse students may struggle with cognitive delays when it comes to processing information.

Fear of being wrong: Ever notice that some of your A-plus students won’t say a word because they have an unfounded fear that they’ll give an incorrect answer? Or that a handful of students worry that they’ll say the wrong thing?

While we should affirm the other ways that quieter students can participate in class, we also want to help them overcome their fears and anxieties. It’s worth having one-on-one conversations with shy students about their hesitations. I encourage these students to speak once per week, perhaps early in a class on something they are confident about. They can take notes on new concepts and write down questions, so when it’s time to speak, they feel prepared and not caught off guard. As you create an environment that favors the process of learning over correctness, you’ll help students feel even more at ease.

It’s important to work with more gregarious students, too. Sometimes, our most talkative students are not necessarily A-plus participants. We all have students who can answer every question in class but don’t turn in work on time. Piping up early and often during class can be a way to compensate for a lack of follow-through in homework or assignments. These students benefit from varied forms of communication, like independent writing and small group work. During group work, gregarious students can hone their social awareness skills and practice self-regulation—especially if they’re tasked with leading a discussion, which requires making space for the contributions and thoughts of quieter students.

The Many Ways Students Participate in the Classroom

In a typical session of my history class, I give a short lecture that requires active listening and note-taking. Then, we engage in a discussion that asks for critical responses to the material, and I often assign independent activities that call for skill practice and development.

If your lectures follow a similar model, then you’ve already created an environment that allows for multiple forms of participation. But how can you give that a grade? Or at least an acknowledgment?

Here are some ways to measure diverse participation.

Small group discussions: Many students who are shy to speak in a big group don’t mind talking in a small group or in pairs. You can ask someone in the group to report back or roam the room to casually listen in on discussions.

Individual activities: History classes require plenty of source analysis. In math, you might engage in individual practice. Are they doing the activity? If so, they’re participating!

Remaining focused: Bearing in mind that this varies due to personality and neurodivergence, try to give students credit for paying attention and not interrupting. Quiet students, in particular, appreciate this praise.

Punctuality: Arriving on time to class is an important part of participation. Punctual students don’t miss important information and are prepared to start the lesson.

How to cocreate participation guidelines with students

Through an expanded lens of classroom engagement, teachers can guide students in assessing their own participation.

Start by defining participation. Brainstorm together to create a working definition for your specific class. Ask students what they think should be included and why. Then discuss how you’ll measure the various activities and behaviors in your class. You might include some of the boldfaced examples above or other agreed-upon measurements.

Use your class’s definition, as well as a rubric for classroom participation, in your syllabus or learning management system. The rubric doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should provide ratings and categories that reflect your agreed-upon discussion and the scope of your course.

When teachers and students cocreate the meaning of participation, students feel more invested and confident in their own growth—and everyone in the classroom benefits.