Participation is a major part of everyday life, especially in school. But in many classrooms, participation can turn into a competition of who speaks the most. For some students, this is great, but for others, it is distressing. When participation becomes a requirement, instead of something of value, it is time to question its educational value.

In a perfect world, participation would be natural. Every student would take turns and contribute meaningfully to the conversation. They would speak up and be comfortable sharing their thoughts with the class. Unfortunately, the reality is different. When participation turns into a graded assignment, students treat it like another item to check off the list. They begin contributing for quantity over quality. 

Participation does not look the same for everyone. The traditional view is that participation is measured through vocal interaction.

Yet some students may be better expressing their ideas through writing, while for others, using their art skills through projects and presentations might be the best way possible. Expecting all students to participate in the same manner ignores individual learning styles. 

Also, anxiety plays a big influence. Some students feel pressured to speak even when they may not fully understand the material but just because they will otherwise lose points. This leads to their grades reflecting their comfort level.

Take Socratic seminars, for example. By incorporating participation as as component of a student’s grade, they appear to be designed to incentive vocal involvement. In reality, I think they make the issue worse. Socratic seminars force students to speak a multitude of times in a short period.

During Socratic seminars, three types of students emerge: the student who continues to participate even after they have met the participation requirement (often leading to them preventing others who have not yet completed the requirement from participating before the bell brings an end to class); the student who participates just enough to meet the minimum; and lastly, the student who participates less than the required amount of time. 

Is there a solution? I think it would be more effective to do this in small groups or a quick one-on-one with the teacher. This ensures everyone has a good understanding of what they are learning. I also think other benefits would be achieved, like better individual connection with the teacher. Regardless of how it gets accomplished there are better, more effective ways. 

Others may argue that participation prepares students for real life. They may say that speaking in class is good practice for life after high school. However, this argument overlooks the difference between the classroom and real life. In the real world, people are not graded on how many times they participate within a time limit. Most conversations are thoughtful and allow time for reflection. Additionally, if people are communicating in a workplace, they are often discussing topics they care about or understand, which can make speaking easier. 

I am not someone who talks a lot in class, but I do participate when I feel it is necessary — or when it will affect my grade. I believe many other students do the same. This is exactly why graded class participation can feel meaningless.

Ultimately, participation should not be about earning points — it should be about learning, which can occur through speaking but also through listening, taking notes, and just quietly thinking.

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Editors’ note: All opinions expressed on The Uproar are a reflection solely of the beliefs of the bylined author and not the journalism program at NASH.  We continue to welcome school-appropriate comments and guest articles.