I got my grade back for an English assignment and I was surprised to find I had lost points. I didn’t lose points because my writing was weak or my analysis of the book was bad. I lost points because I did not speak up enough in class. My teacher had included a participation grade in our final score. As someone who is introverted, I was upset that I was being penalized for something that is out of my control.
I am a listener more than a speaker: I listen to what is going on, process it and think about it. This does not mean that I am not paying attention in class, I just don’t always feel ready to jump into a conversation in front of 20 of my peers. While some students love this part of class – and raising their hand and actively participating – I find it overwhelming. It often feels frustrating when what you understand is not as important as how vocal you are about it.
What makes this even more complicated is that teachers will put such a large emphasis on active participation. If you raise your hand five times a class, you did well. If you don’t do that and instead sit and engage in the lesson by simply taking notes, it is perceived as you are not involved. This is not fair to students who participate through their writing and projects.
Being graded on vocal participation does not include a whole group of students who are equally engaged in the learning process as others who may be louder about it. I am not suggesting that participation not be graded at all, rather that teachers need to provide several ways for students to participate.
It is not that introverted students are not paying attention, it’s just that their learning style and how they show engagement does not fit the traditional mold that teachers expect. I hope that more teachers begin to see that participation can take many forms, and that they will come to realize that the quiet student in deep thought is just as engaged as the loudest student in the room.
