Assessing Student Participation In Class

[a269652]

How do you do it, method/frequency etc. Do you also include it as part of the criteria for arriving at an end of year student grade?

What in your opinion is student participation, what forms can/does it take?

If you don't assessing your students participation in class then why not?

[PeaceBlondie]

Of course, it depends on the circumstances. I worked in one govt. school where, according to a rumor, we were supposed to record student participation of every student, such as once a week. Impossible if you have a lot of 50-student classes; some Thai English teachers had ten such classes.

Don't waste time doing unproductive work. You might keep a class roster handy during class, and mark your observations as you notice them. If you soon see that a student has no observations, go out of your way to notice that student.

Whether it's part of the grade depends on what cockamany scheme the Ministry of Education has come up with this year. The MoE has a nasty habit of changing marking criteria on an annual basis, and nobody's more confused than the veteran Thai teachers, who respond passive-aggressively.

I try to involve all the students. A typical class will require them to write sentences on the blackboard, so I get about four pieces of chalk (or board marker) and keep giving it to each student; they all get to take part, and they accept it.

The better students participate by will. You have to be clever to get the slow ones going. Good luck.

[Rhys]

Again depending on your school situation, Problem Based Learning works well.. provided you can find tutors who buy into the program.. and students who are willing to take responsibility for their learning... But that is a big "IF."