The American obsession with class participation, from a non-American perspective
Illustration by Jenny Yu
The American obsession with class participation, from a non-American perspective:
“School in America was easy, assignments sent in by e-mail; classrooms air-conditioned, professors willing to give make-up tests. But she was uncomfortable with what the professors called “participation,” and did not see why it should be part of the final grade; it merely made students talk and talk, class time wasted on obvious words, hollow words, sometimes meaningless words. It had to be that Americans were taught from elementary school, to always say something in class, no matter what. And so she sat stiff-tongued, surrounded by students who were all folded easily on their seats. All flush with knowledge, not of the subject of the classes, but of how to be in the classes…”
~ Chimanda Ngozi Adichie, in her novel Americanah
I’ve heard this observation from people all over the world, but Adichie expresses it especially well. What do YOU think about the practice of grading class participation?
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Meryl French
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Michele
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Feb 14, 2014 11:41AM
Hi - well I'm from the UK and my experience within the classroom is different but this scenario is very familiar from my experience of the workplace. In meetings people feel a need to share their views, unfiltered and unconsidered. There is definitely a sense that people who don't 'contribute' should be encouraged to do so, forgetting that sometimes people who say nothing are not shy, just recognise they have nothing worth hearing at this moment in time. Speech is undoubtedly valued for its own sake, irrespective of the words spoken but - thankfully - not by everyone
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As a speech professor and an introvert (I know it seems an odd career choice) I think classroom participation is a must, but not in the way described by Adichie. In my classroom I use cooperative learning techniques. This consists of small teams, ideally three and no more than four, sometimes with assigned roles. I monitor to ensure everyone participates, but don't pressure if the groups seem to be going well. I think a learner who goes through school without learning the expected social skills will be at a huge disadvantage when it comes to working with others, which we all inevitably do at some point in our careers. This needs to be structured and talking in class for the sake of earning a few points should not be a goal. Meaningful discussion in small groups with an opportunity to learn the course information along with communication skills is optimal.
