Why do you want student participation in your classroom.doc

Why do you want student participation in your classroom?Student participation in the form of class discussion can be useful for many reasons, but those reasons vary according to the particular class you are teaching and what you want the discussion to accomplish. Before you begin to work on how to initiate or manage discussion in your classroom, consider the following for each of the classes you teach:· How much of each class period do you want to devote to class discussion? It would be helpful to establish a goal for the percentage of class time that will be devoted to discussion as a general guideline for planning your material.· What exactly do you want the students to discuss? Is this about exploring theories and concepts from the assigned reading, providing examples or applications, or an opportunity for students to express their opinions?· How flexible are you about maintaining complete control of the classroom and the content of the discussion? Is this a large lecture class in which you need maximum control or is it a small seminar class where the students can take primary responsibility for leading/guiding the discussion?Be realistic about your expectations for a particular class and group of students. Examine your assumptions:· Are you assuming that all students are coming to class fully prepared? If so, how are you going to make sure that happens?· Are you assuming that all students can pull their ideas together and respond thoughtfully to your questions? Consider whether these students are freshmen or seniors, majors or nonmajors.· Are you assuming that all students are comfortable talking out loud in class and believe they have something useful to contribute?Choose a particular course in which you would like to enhance the student participation and make some basic notes about the nature of the content, students, and level of participation desired:Course number/title: _Level of student:_Majors/nonmajors: _Percentage of class time that you would like to devote to discussion: _Type of discussion content: _Size of class: _Room set up/seating arrangement: _Degree of instructor control desired: _Other notes:Setting yourself up for success· Clearly define your expectations to the students. Talk about why participation and discussion are an important part of the course on the first day of class. Your syllabus should contain a specific statement such as the one I include in my COM 233 syllabus: You will be expected to complete the readings and homework and contribute to the class discussion for each day. Your participation grade will be based on the degree to which you make meaningful contributions to the class discussion on a regular basis. You will also be required to make postings to the MySCSU course homepage and these will count toward your class participation grade.· Optimize the physical arrangement of the classroom. Examine the classroom space and make certain that the chairs are arranged in a manner that facilitates discussion. After deciding on the room arrangement, I ask the students to set up the room each day before class (and then remember to put it back for the next class!)· Learn their names. There is something about making the effort to learn a students name that shows them you value their presence in class. (I have to take pictures!) It also allows you to call on students by name when their hands are raised or solicit their input when they are quiet.· Build rapport with the class members. Come early. Stay late. Encourage them to come during office hours. Collect basic personal information and make connections. Additional information on this topic is provided in the next section on Instructor Immediacy.Other ideas for setting yourself up for success from workshop participants:Instructor ImmediacyIn the Communication literature, once of the key concepts that has been investigated in regard to instructional effectiveness and affective learning is the concept of immediacy. Instructor immediacy is generally described as communication behaviors that enhance the sense of physical and psychological closeness that students have toward a particular instructor. This perception is closely associated with instructors whom students perceive to be likeable and approachable. Researchers have identified specific verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors that promote a sense of immediacy:Verbal ImmediacyNonverbal ImmediacyUses students namesMaintains eye contactUses “we” instead of “I”SmilesTalks to students before and after classMoves around while teachingUses personal examplesUses vocal variety while talkingUses humor in classUses relaxed body postureSolicits input from studentsUses gestures while talkingWilling to change topics as neededTouches others while talkingWilling to have unplanned conversationsIs animated while talkingInstruments to measure verbal and nonverbal immediacy have been developed and validated. There is a substantial body of Communication research that has demonstrated the connection between both verbal and nonverbal immediacy and positive outcomes related to classroom climate and affective learning. Copies of these instruments are included in this package. If you are uncertain of your immediacy behaviors, invite someone to visit your class or ask your students to complete the instrument.Meta-DiscussionHaving a discussion about discussions is probably one of the best things you can do to help facilitate a classroom atmosphere that is conducive to participation. Here are some ideas for how to do that:1. Lead a brain-storming session in which students are prompted to list pros and cons of class discussions or characteristics of effective/ineffective class discussions and write them on the board.2. Ask the students to identify reasons why they do NOT like to participate in class or reasons they might be concerned or uncomfortable about speaking out in class and then address these concerns.3. Ask students to talk about turn-taking issues (see page 11) and establish some ground rules about turn taking.4. Set up message board topics so students can discuss or “vote” on preferred discussion rules.5. Print or post discussion rules so that you and the students may refer back to them later in the semesterespecially if there are frequent violations.6. Emphasize the shared responsibility of managing good classroom discussion. Encourage self-monitoring and peer feedback.7. Highlight any discussion rules you want to enforce and make certain to include them in the syllabus. For example:Please respect the confidences of your classmates. This is a class that often involves the discussion of personal issues and relationships and what is discussed in class should stay in class. At any time during a particular class session that you feel things are not going well, stop and have a meta-discussion. Ask the students for feedback about what is not working and suggestions to help get things back on track. At the midterm and the end of class it would be appropriate to do a debriefing about the discussion process. In classes where I grade participation, I have the students complete a self-evaluation form after I give them the participation tallies from individual class sessions (see Tracking & Evaluating Participation, pages 13-14).Assignments and techniques to help initiate content-specific discussionBefore class:· Provide a homework assignment that asks specific questions and have student provide examples or applications. During class, have students share what they have written in their homework.· Provide reading worksheets or reading quizzes. The students can complete these online or at the beginning of class. This might help motivate the students to prepare for class.· Have students submit discussion questions and/or responses by email before class. Assemble their responses and use them as the basis for that days discussion.· Have students submit to Message Board posts like the one available through MySCSU. I read the submissions before class and then discuss some of the more thoughtful answers or report on votes and discussion outcomes.During classIf you want to get a class discussion going and students are unresponsive or unprepared, try one of the following tactics:· Quick list/idea generatorHave students take out a blank sheet of paper and write down three quick ideas or answers to a question (name three ways to . . . , list 3 vocabulary words from your reading, give two examples of . . . , etc.). Then go around the room and have each class member share ONE. If a lot of students pass you can go around again until you get enough ideas on the board to start a discussion. Often the discussion can be centered around categorizing the answers into groups or types or some other application of a concept from their reading.· Borrowing from my colleagues in the English Department J, give the students a brief “freewriting” assignment. Provide a question to answer or a concept to explain (let them use their textbook or notes if they have to). After they have something written in front of them you can ask them to share answers to get the conversation going.· Put your students in groups of 2 or 3 and have them review a specific part of their reading assignment. Have them discuss and then outline the main concepts and present them to the class. I find this works well when they clearly have NOT done the reading and I do not want to reward that by covering the reading for them.Other ideas for assignments and techniques to help initiate content-specific discussion from workshop participants:Potential Participation “Stoppers”According to Bean (2001), “discussion classes often fail to produce the kind of active learning desired. Particularly problematic are · discussions in which the teacher simply tries to elicit correct answers,· bull sessions where the discussion wanders aimlessly, and· guessing-game discussion where the students are not asked genuine questions but are led to guess what the instructor is thinking” (p. 173).Some of the more common problems that discourage student responses:· The instructor does not wait long enough for an answergive them time to think and collect their thoughts.· When there is silence, the instructor jumps in and fills the void with prompts and probes.· The instructor constructs poorly worded or overly complex questions that the students do not understand.· The instructor talks down to students.· The instructor gives disconfirming responses.Other ideas for potential participation “stoppers” from workshop participants:Developing a Supportive Classroom ClimateCommunication scholars have identified six communication patterns that are associated with the type of communication climate that reduces defensiveness in others (Gibb, 1961). A supportive classroom climate can help improve participation levels in your classes. Consider how your remarks and responses as well as those of the other students would contribute to either a supportive or a defensive climate.1. Be descriptive, not evaluative.Avoid giving direct criticism. Use I-statements. Be specific. Explain or clarify rather than judging.2. Be problem-oriented, not controlling.Resist the urge to be directive or tell others what to do. Invite others to help solve a problem collaboratively. 3. Be spontaneous, not strategic.Be straightforward, direct, and honest. Avoid manipulation and hidden agendas.4. Be empathetic, not neutral.Show that you understand and relate. Avoid indifference.5. Be equal, not superior.Treat others with respect and politeness. Avoid demeaning or belittling others.6. Be provisional, not certain.Encourage openness to new possibilities. Avoid absolutes. Make suggestions rather than telling someone how to do something. Providing Confirming Responses during Student ParticipationYour responses to student comments and remarks can be either confirming or disconfirming (Cissna & Sieburg, 1995). Distinct from the content of the message you send, this happens when you provide an indication about whether the individual student and his/her participation is valued.Disconfirming messages include· Failure to notice or offer a response· Offering an interrupting response· Offering a tangential response· Offering an impersonal response· Offering an incoherent or incongruous responseTypes of confirming responses: · Recognizing the other, does not require agreement but you notice his/her presence · Acknowledging the other, does not require agreement but you respond in a direct and relevant way· Endorsing the other, requires agreementHow do you give a confirming response to a wrong answer?How do you respond to an inappropriate remark?Often the responses you give outside of class discussion time can be interpreted by students as disconfirming or make students feel defensive. Think about when they deliver a lame excuse or a late paperhow do you respond?Managing Turn-Taking Behavior During Class DiscussionWhen there are a lot of students in the room, or several want to speak at the same time, it becomes important to determine who gets to speak next. If it is entirely up to you, it can be difficult to listen, respond, and still remember who goes next.· Consider options besides hand raising. Pass a stick or ball. Have a general question or two that you could go around the entire room and have each person answer.· Encourage students to point out hands that you might have missed. Often there are blind spots on either side of you and students across the room get selected more often because you can see them better.· When you call one students name, you can name the next two students so they can put their hands down without losing their spot. (Kara, then Sue, then Greg.)Managing Difficult StudentsThe student that sits on the front row and always has a hand up first: Ask them to sit in the back and observe the class for a few days. Then talk with them about what they observed.The student that talks too frequently or talks too long:· Ask them privately to change their behavior· Email them about their behavior if it persists· Use “Lets hear from someone who has not contributed yet” often.· Give out a limited number of tokens or vouchers. When the student runs out, his/her turns are gone for the day.A member of the class says something thoughtless that could offend another student: Say “OUCH” and give other members